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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff WriterOct 24, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA. You can follow him on Twitter at @RobDemovsky.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Anyone who hasn’t watched Jordan Love lately can get a feel for his season by looking at the replay of one game: Sunday’s 24-22 win over the Houston Texans.
It featured a little bit of everything the Green Bay Packers‘ quarterback has done in his five starts this season: spectacular throws that were reminiscent of the second half of last season when he was one of the best in the league, but also some questionable decisions that led to the kind of interceptions from the first half of last season when it looked like he still had much to learn about playing in the NFL.
At this point, heading into Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox) that will be Love’s 24th career regular season start, it might be too soon to tell whether Love has an interception problem or is taking a necessarily aggressive approach in his second year as a starter.
“There are tons of unbelievable plays that happen every Sunday that wouldn’t happen otherwise for sure,” Packers center Josh Myers said of Love’s aggressive nature. “It’s unbelievable to sit there in the pocket and get to see some of these throws, and the way they land from my point of view is unbelievable.”
This much is true for 2024: No one has thrown more interceptions this season than Love. His eight picks are tied with Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Gardner Minshew (Raiders) for the league lead, though he has played one fewer game. Yet only one quarterback has thrown more touchdown passes than Love. His 15 passing scores rank tied for second with Lamar Jackson (Ravens), behind only the 18 thrown by Baker Mayfield (Bucs). Both Jackson and Mayfield have played two more games.
“I think, obviously, the interceptions are something I want to clean up and definitely improve on, being able to be clean with the ball,” Love said Wednesday. “I think the big focus for us is to go a game on offense and have 100 percent ball security. That’s definitely a big takeaway
“There’s always different reasons for interceptions, whether it’s a bad read, a poorly thrown ball, things like that. There’s so many different ways things happen. For me, definitely something I want to focus on moving forward.”
Packers QB Jordan Love had 11 interceptions in 17 games last season. He already has eight in five games in 2024. Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images
Not all interceptions are created equal. At least one of Love’s picks — and perhaps two — can be charged to the receiver.
On the Week 6 interception against the Cardinals, Bo Melton slipped on his route.
On the second of his three interceptions in the Week 4 loss to the Vikings, Romeo Doubs was supposed to run a straight vertical route but instead wrapped around the safety toward the inside and ended up in the same window as tight end Luke Musgrave, who thought the ball was for him. Musgrave appeared to tip it, leading to the interception.
“In Jordan’s defense, he has a free runner running right at his face that shouldn’t be there,” LaFleur said the day after the Vikings’ game. “He should be picked up in protection. So we’ve got to make sure we step up, we make that block, and then I think he can make a better decision and hopefully just drop it down. If the spacing is a little off, just take the gimme.”
That interception came against a five-man pass rush. It was one of three interceptions that Love has thrown when facing more than the standard four-man rush. On another against the Vikings, they sent seven after Love on a first-down play and threw it up deep for Dontayvion Wicks.
Of his latest interceptions, the two against the Texans, one came against a standard rush, and Love didn’t see the defender, while the other came on a five-man pressure that forced him to throw off his back foot and sail it over Christian Watson.
His most egregious interception came when backed up against the Rams in Week 5. Love tried to escape heavy pressure in the end zone, and as he was stumbling to avoid a safety, he flung a pass that safety Jaylen McCollough picked off at the Packers’ 4-yard line and returned for a touchdown.
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According to ESPN Research, Love has been blitzed 35.6% of the time, the second-highest rate among regular starters behind only Minshew. Yet Love ranks only 22nd in the percentage of plays under pressure (defined as sacked, hit or under duress) at 27.7%. Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson have both been under pressure on more than 40% of their dropbacks. Love’s off-target rate is low. He ranks eight-lowest in the league at 13.1%. Kirk Cousins is the best at 10.8%. Anthony Richardson is the worst at 22.9%.
“Again, that’s why it takes all 11, right?” LaFleur said.
Last Sunday was Love’s third career game with multiple touchdown passes and multiple interceptions. That’s tied with Nick Mullens (Vikings) for the most since the start of last season. On lower-risk throws to running backs and tight ends, he finished 9-of-10 with two touchdowns (one to RB Josh Jacobs and another on a thread-the-needle throw to TE Tucker Kraft that went through the hands of a Texans defender).
Through 23 starts, Love has thrown 22 interceptions (and 50 touchdowns). In that regard, he has skewed more toward Brett Favre (25 interceptions in his first 23 starts) than Aaron Rodgers (15).
“It’s the NFL, there’s not always going to be wide-open guys,” Love said after Sunday’s game. “It’s going to be tight windows, you’ve got to fit the ball in there sometimes, and I’m going to keep playing. Learn and grow from the mistakes, the interceptions, and just keep playing, keep moving on.
“That’s not going to ever limit me. I’ve got to keep going out there and being the best player I can for my team.”
