Richard Sherman's rivalry with the Green Bay Packers goes way back. He played on Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers teams that competed with Green Bay at the top of the NFC.
The rivalry extended beyond his playing career, and more specifically, into the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Sherman criticized the Packers for trading Rodgers and then took victory laps when they started last season 2-5.
Fun fact: The Packers are 17-7 since Sherman boldly claimed they were on their way to "picking top five in the draft" and were "considering probably drafting another quarterback." He also told fans they "should've shut up and enjoyed the guy you had."
The guy the Packers had? He was referring to Aaron Rodgers, whose New York Jets are 4-10 while Jordan Love's Packers are 10-4 and close to clinching a playoff berth. Yes, that's the same Jordan Love-led Packers Sherman once said nobody would fear.
"I guarantee you. Every NFC North team is excited to see Jordan Love. Ecstatic," Sherman said on his podcast in April 2023. "Nobody will fear you going forward. Understand that."
At this point, you'd imagine Sherman had admitted he was wrong. Since trading Rodgers, the Packers are 19-12 and on the verge of back-to-back playoff berths. Rodgers has only played 14 games, going 4-10, while his head coach and general manager got fired.
It turns out that Sherman still won't admit defeat.
Richard Sherman continues to disrespect Jordan Love despite Packers' success
Understandably, Packers fans have reminded Sherman of his previous comments. And he has doubled down. Why? Because the 10-win Packers aren't winning their division?
Has not changed. They are currently 3rd in the division. And he is prob the 3 rd ranked QB in that division.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 17, 2024
Love certainly isn't the third-ranked quarterback in the NFC North. Would the Minnesota Vikings take Sam Darnold over Love, given the choice? Sherman then said the Packers don't let Love throw 30 passes in most of their games "because he will throw the game way like he did in the playoffs."
They have been beat by both. That’s why they don’t let him throw 30 passes most games because he will throw the game away like he did in the playoffs. Season ended on an INT.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) December 17, 2024
That's what it comes down to? Passing attempts?
Aaron Rodgers is averaging 34.9 attempts per game this season compared to Love's 29.6. Sure, Love has six more wins, but that must make him a worse player, right? Caleb Williams is averaging 33.2 passes per game—the Chicago Bears are 4-10.
Lamar Jackson is averaging fewer passing attempts (28.9) than Love. Does that mean the Baltimore Ravens don't trust him to throw the ball? Or does it speak more to Baltimore's dominant run game? How about Jalen Hurts, who is averaging 25.5 passes per game? Again, do they not trust Hurts, or is it more that the Philadelphia Eagles lead the league in rushing?
The Packers can also run the football—they rank fourth in rushing yards per game, while Josh Jacobs already has 1,147 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Love battled injuries earlier in the season but has been fully healthy since the bye week (with the added bonus of Toyotathon). Since the Packers' Week 10 bye, Love has completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 1,133 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception, with a passer rating of 119.9.
According to RBSDM, since the Packers' bye, Love leads the league in quarterback efficiency (a metric combining Expected Points Added and Completion Percentage Over Expectation).
Let's look at another metric: EPA. According to Ben Baldwin, it considers several factors, including drops and dropped interceptions. Love ranks fifth in the NFL this season.
Adjusted EPA Leaderboard:
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) December 18, 2024
How effective the plays each QB has been involved in have been after accounting for factors such as drops, dropped interceptions, and fumble recovery luck pic.twitter.com/aIujwUBukt
Is Love having a perfect season? No. Like last year, he had too many turnovers early on and needed to make smarter decisions to protect the football. But it's also true that Love battled knee and groin injuries and needed time to get fully healthy, not to mention he's a second-year quarterback with All-Pro potential who is still gaining experience.
Like last year, Love is heating up in the second half of the season and will make the Packers a dangerous team in the playoffs.
It seems Sherman still isn't convinced. He was one of the best cornerbacks of his generation, but thankfully for the Packers, he isn't their general manager.