He debut season as a starter has witnessed enough shattering errors to satiate a year’s hunger for calamity.
Love, on the other hand, has recently avoided making such gaffes. And he’s having a good time.
Love has eight passing touchdowns and only two interceptions since Week 9. He has a passing rating of 103.1 and averages eight yards per attempt. It’s no surprise that the Packers have gone 3-1 since Week 9.
“I feel like it’s just comfort, being comfortable in the pocket,” Love said on Wednesday, via The Associated Press. “Obviously getting more reps, more reps, being comfortable with my reads, understanding what the defense is doing, where I need to go with the ball and just growing and learning (from) every rep I get and obviously learning from mistakes, learning from the good plays.”
Love’s greatest weakness was his performance in key moments. He’d play well enough in most games to keep the Packers competitive, but when Green Bay needed to score late, he’d take unnecessary risks before fourth down, often turning the ball over and ending Green Bay’s chances prematurely. In Weeks 1-10, he threw 10 interceptions, tied for the second-most in the NFL.
“I think he’s done a much better job of that because everybody wants to throw down the field,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “But sometimes you’ve got to be calculated. It’s got to be there. It’s got to be the right read.”
Now, after folks wondered whether Green Bay might need to find another option at quarterback, the tone has shifted to pure optimism. Love is suddenly the face of the future after introducing himself to the nation on Thanksgiving.
“It’s just … something that throughout each rep I’ve been able to learn from, grow as a player, understand where I need to go with the ball,” Love said.
Green Bay’s progress, which has seen the Packers unexpectedly enter the playoff race, will be put to the test Sunday night, when the Packers travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the reigning champion Chiefs. Love struggled as a green quarterback making his first professional start in Kansas City the last time he took the field.
He’ll aim to be considerably better in a game that might determine if the Packers are simply on a nice winning streak or are genuinely turning the corner.
