Pro Football Focus' 2023 awards prove they were completely wrong about Jordan Love

Few were as critical of the Jordan Love pick as Pro Football Focus.

"Whether it was missing open receivers or throwing the ball straight to defenders, Love simply brings too many negatives with him to consider him a first-round talent," wrote PFF immediately after the Green Bay Packers drafted him in 2020.

They added that trading up for Love was "the cherry on top of one of the worst moves of the night."

Many were quick to write off Love before he had even arrived in Green Bay. Blaming the Packers for focusing on the future and not winning that year with Aaron Rodgers is one thing, but dismissing Love's potential is another level.

Love waited patiently, developing for three years behind Rodgers, just as Rodgers did behind Brett Favre. But the criticism of Love continued into the 2023 season.

"Though the early signs were encouraging, the more we see of Love, the more it looks like he may be the same player he was four years ago in college," wrote PFF's Sam Monson in October.

To Monson's defense, Love was struggling earlier in the season. The entire offense has grown together. The receivers have cleaned up their mistakes, the offensive line has found its way, and Love has taken a giant leap.

And he is proving the world wrong.

Jordan Love is named PFF's 2023 Breakout Player of the Year

After a shaky start, Love's play reached an MVP level in the second half of the season. He completed a little over 70 percent of his passes while throwing 18 touchdown passes with only one interception. Love's rise led the Packers to a 6-2 finish, marching into the postseason.

Pro Football Focus has named Love their 2023 Breakout Player of the Year. Per PFF, Brock Purdy is the only quarterback with a better grade than Love since Week 9.

He finished the regular season ranked second in touchdown passes, seventh in passing yards, and ninth in adjusted quarterback rating.

Love's hard work is paying off. Many wrote him off before he had even played a down in the NFL. If only there were a recent example of a first-round quarterback succeeding after spending three seasons as a backup to a Hall of Famer.

And while Love's play early in the season featured several ups and downs, the encouraging signs were there. He, and the rest of the offense, needed to find more consistency.

When they did, they never looked back. Love is playing as well as any quarterback in football, showing why he's the Packers' future and proving his doubters wrong every week.

Love aims to do the same when the Packers visit the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday's wild-card round.

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