Matt LaFleur's play-calling proves he doesn't trust Jordan Love
We can make excuses for the Green Bay Packers' offensive struggles all day. It's a young and inexperienced group.
But that only goes so far.
The Packers will publicly claim they are fully behind Jordan Love and have confidence in him, but Matt LaFleur's actions prove otherwise.
LaFleur is calling plays like he doesn't trust his quarterback. And the first-half numbers from the Packers' Week 7 matchup with the Denver Broncos paint a concerning picture.
LaFleur is calling conservatively. Instead of pushing the ball downfield against a Broncos defense that ranked No. 32 in the NFL entering Week 7, he wants Love to get the ball out of his hands quickly. That means short, easy completions but not much offensive success.
It's clear Packers coach Matt LaFleur has lost confidence in Jordan Love
Love completed 10 of 13 passes for 47 yards in the first half. That's 3.6 yards per completion.
This passing chart says it all. Love only attempted one pass beyond five yards, which fell incomplete.
Jordan Love first half passing chart pic.twitter.com/YyvosXT3dF
— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) October 22, 2023
Why isn't LaFleur testing this struggling defense? The Packers have the offensive weapons to stretch the Broncos. With the speed of Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave, there's no reason not to fire the ball deep.
There's no explanation other than LaFleur not having confidence in Love.
When Love has thrown deep this season, the results have been inconsistent. Love has regularly led the league in average depth of target this year. In other words, he is throwing the ball deep. But he hasn't found much success. Love's overall completion percentage entering Week 7 was 55.6.
The game plan this week? Dink-and-dunk. That hasn't worked, either.
Green Bay is averaging 4.3 points in the first half this season. There are various factors to blame. Play-calling, protection, receivers not making plays, you name it. But a lot of the Packers' offensive failures fall on Jordan Love.
LaFleur's play-calling in the first half of Week 7 shows his lack of confidence in Love.
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