Packers rushing Jordan Love back looks like an awful decision during Vikings blowout
By Mike Luciano
Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers losing to the Minnesota Vikings is not alarming in a vacuum, even during a home game at Lambeau Field. Sam Darnold is cooking and the defense looks great. The manner in which they lost, however, was a complete horror show.
It's hard to assign blame for a game like this, because everything has gone wrong. Kicker Brayden Narveson has missed two field goals, and the defense has made Darnold look like Fran Tarkenton by allowing three touchdown passes. The most concerning part, however, was how bad Love looked.
Love, who is playing for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in Week 1, completed just 12 of his 24 passes for 118 yards. While he did throw a touchdown pass, it came after the team had already fallen behind 28-0. Love was intercepted twice, looked nervous in the pocket, and lacked mobility.
The Packers had a player in Malik Willis who has been able to start and win NFL games in Love's absence. Love has assuredly been rushed back from his injury, and the result was him getting shredded at home by a division rival and one of the best teams in the league.
Packers look foolish for starting injured Jordan Love vs. Vikings
Willis is nowhere near the passer Love is, but Green Bay has been able to mix up a gameplan that befuddled the Colts and Titans. While the Vikings are a much better opponent than those two, is it worth risking Love in just the fourth game of the season?
Love has some mobility, but he is by no means a quarterback that is at his best outside of the pocket. If he is unable to sit back in the pocket and throw darts all over the field, which Minnesota was able to will into reality, Love was unable to get much of anything going.
The Packers are allowed to have a game where nothing goes right; every team has at least one a year. The problem is the fact these offensive struggles were completely self-inflicted, as they jeopardized their long-term success by putting Love out there when he was obviously not in his best form.
While 70% of Love is better than 100% of Willis on most days, throwing No. 10 out there today was just an unnecessary risk that benefitted no one wearing Packers green and gold.