For the second time, State Farm Insurance’s two prized celebrity endorsers – Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes – will not meet each other on the field. The State Farm Bowl is dead. Again.
I’d recommend West Bend Mutual to grab some ad space this Sunday because there is, in fact, a Silver Lining (trademark, probably) and its name goes by Jordan Love.
Yes, no one expected Jordan Love to play (especially start) in a game of consequence this season, but he will indeed get that shot.
Coach Matt LaFleur, in Monday’s presser, called it a “great opportunity” for Love to “showcase what he can do” as a player.
A great opportunity indeed. Here’s why:
First, there were really only a couple of plausible scenarios whereby Love could get significant playing time, the first being a Rodgers injury, the second being late-season garbage time. Luckily, the Packers have skirted the former. In fact, the mid-season showcase for Love is perfect from a public relations perspective. Rodgers, notably frosty after the way he believed the front office handled the offseason, can’t play on Sunday for reasons entirely under his control. Coaching and management have no culpability for why Rodgers must watch his potential successor complicate (or fortify) his future with the team.
Second, there’s a ton of value in seeing Love against live fire. He showed some promise in the preseason. His snaps against New Orleans were basically meaningless. None of that compares to Sunday. He’ll get to compete against a team that, despite its flaws, still possesses an elite quarterback. The narrative is well constructed.
Now let’s play the “if” game.
If Love plays really well, a few things can happen. The first is that Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst can feel much more confident with his transition plan. It’s a preview of the future – a hedge against his first-round gamble. Rodgers is playing at a near-MVP level this season given the team’s record, so the trade value for No. 12 would be…well, let’s just say inflation will hit the NFL trade market like it’s hit many other markets around the country. A true win-win for Gutekunst and the organization. Even if Love plays well and the team still wants to retain Rodgers, the trade value for Love increases.
If Love plays poorly, the worst-case scenario is he’s a backup. The Packers perhaps “wasted” a first-round pick, but that wouldn’t be the first time and it won’t be the last.
Third, this is a good matchup for a Packers team who are getting healthy. They should be getting David Bakhtiari back, which should not only upgrade their left tackle position but also allow Elgton Jenkins to slide back to the left guard spot where he’s a Pro Bowler. Davante Adams and Allen Lazard should be back, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling has a chance to be back, too. A bolstered offensive line, a re-stocked receiving corps, a thunder/lighting A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones rushing combo, and a putrid Chiefs defense (27th in yards, 25th in points, and 22nd in takeaways) are staple ingredients for taking pressure off of a young quarterback.
Which brings us to the fourth point: this game is winnable. The Packers struck gold in Glendale last Thursday night, riding their two running backs and playing solid defense. The team as a whole is playing good football in nearly all three phases. A win against a team like the Chiefs, who despite their less-than-stellar play can still strike fear on the whim of a hot-handed Mahomes, could be a great first step for a young quarterback needing confidence.
And heck, just like no one expected a big-armed kid from Texas Tech to become a bona fide star until he balled out in some late-season mop-up duty, no one expects too much from a big-armed kid from Utah State to become a star.
Either way, Sunday will go a long way towards finding out just how good the Packers’ insurance policy is.
And that’s the silver lining.
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