Jordan Love is the starting QB of the Packers. This Is Why He’s Playing Every Preseason Game

green Bay Packers Quarterback jordan love They cheered in a line of fans attending the Packers training camp. They shook fists, posed for pictures and said goodbye to every last Cheesehead on the last day of open practice.

for now.

Love will be back on the field for Saturday’s preseason finale, just as he was for the first two games. Love has never lacked familiarity with the offense or with this team. He’s been around for three years. But he lacked live game rep with the rest of the starting offense, which is why head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to play him as their starting quarterback in all three preseason contests.

Gutekunst said last week, “It’s not just his case; it’s our whole crime.” “We have a lot of young people who are seeing some things for the first time.”

So far, Love has gone 12 of 18 for 130 passing yards and two touchdowns. That’s good for a 124.8 rating in about five series of work. More than that, Luv is looking better with each outing. Heading into the third pre-season game, Packers fans — and coaches — should know everything they need to know ahead of Week 1 in Chicago against the rival Bears.

However, like most things, instilling love towards live representatives in sports has its own advantages and disadvantages that are innumerable. Of course, they matter. For players on the bubble trying to make it to this team or any other. But for an undisputed starter, is the extra work worth the risk of injury?

The team first saw a scare last week in their game against the New England Patriots, where play was suspended with 10:29 remaining after New England cornerback Isaiah Bolden was carried off the field. Games may not count in the win or loss column, but they do matter, nonetheless. Injuries are just as real in the preseason as they are in the regular season, and losing your starting quarterback just because you wanted him to do some extra work doesn’t really seem worth it.

There is also the issue of Lav’s backup. It is not Aaron Rodgers that awaits the ultimate and inevitable successor – the one who can keep the team afloat, even if only through baptism by fire. sean clifford Definitely progress this preseason. Looks like he’s developing into a viable backup. But it’s not fair to hand your team over to a fifth round rookie usually work out.

The Packers’ only other quarterback on their expanded training camp roster is Alex McGough – The USFL’s 2023 MVP, but who hasn’t played an NFL regular-season snap. While one or both could develop and surprise, those aren’t contingency plans anyone at 1265 Lombardi Avenue can be comfortable with if they expect to compete for a wide-open NFC North.

But there are more clues to Lafleur’s reasoning and why he thinks the job is worth it. The Packers’ head coach has lowered expectations on Love, probably to avoid putting any undue pressure on the first-year starter as much as anything else. And while expressing confidence in his quarterback, he also brings the realities of the situation and the league to the forefront of the conversation.

“We’ve all seen growth over the last few years and it’s been great to see,” LaFleur said after the team’s last preseason game. “But you must have a short memory in this game because you are only as good as your last game and we all know that. There is a lot of work and frankly, it is only the preseason. We have to keep building on it.”

And the only way to keep building is to keep playing. That’s what Love will do this Saturday at 1 PM ET. Then, on September 10, we’ll see if the extra work was worth it.

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Carmen Vitali covers NFC North for Fox Sports. Carmen’s previous stints were with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, adding the title of Super Bowl champion (and boat-parade participant) to his resume. You can follow Carmen on Twitter @CarmieV,

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