The growth of Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love from Week 1 through Saturday’s game in San Francisco was remarkable. To continue down an ascending path, an area of emphasis for him going into next season will be in late game scenarios.
“I think when we get back to OTAs,” said Love post game when asked on what he needs to work on this offseason, “just obviously some of these late 2-minute drills to go win the game is areas that we didn’t capitalize on throughout the season. So that will be an area to look at.
“But I think there’s so many areas I’ll have to look at and break down the film but I definitely think just those critical situations when you’ve got to go win it, finding answers and better ways to go take advantage and find a way to win.”
With 1:07 left in the fourth quarter against San Francisco, Love and the Packers offense took over at their own 25-yard line down three. After picking up an initial first down, the Packers had 1st-and-10 from the 36-yard line. Feeling pressure, Love rolled to his right and made a fundamental mistake, throwing late and over the middle, a pass that was intercepted.
Since Week 11, Love had thrown just one interception prior to the NFC Divisional Round. Over the last month, he had been one of the best quarterbacks in football, ranking among the best in completion rate, passing yards, touchdowns, and in general, playing with complete control regardless of the circumstance.
That throw, however, with a minute left and the game on the line, ended up being Love’s second interception of the day, and the decision he made on that final play was even more surprising, given his decision-making and level of play the two months prior.
“I thought we had plenty of time,” said Matt LaFleur about the final drive. “We had two timeouts. We felt like there was some things that we could exploit and unfortunately didn’t get it done. So I think that’s an area that we certainly got to improve on a little bit, is those end-of-game situations.”
Along with the San Francisco game, Love and the Packers also failed to tie the game or take the lead in the final minutes against Atlanta, Las Vegas, Denver, and Pittsburgh.
“Jordan and I have talked about that,” added LaFleur. “Just what we’re calling, what we’re asking guys to do. You’re always going to look at yourself first and be critical on yourself and making sure that you’ve got the right plays dialed up for the guys and making sure just that communication so everybody’s on the same page.
“Never want to surprise guys with a call or anything like that. I think that’s an area of our game where we can certainly see some improvements moving forward.”
Most of those failed late game opportunities came early on in the season. Love and the offense also had their share of successes in these situations as well.
In Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Love took over with 5:24 left in the game and drove the offense down the field for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs.
A few weeks later against the New York Giants, and with the offense sputtering most of the game, Love led a scoring drive, connecting with Malik Heath in the end zone, which gave the Packers a one-point lead with 1:33 on the clock.
Then in Week 16 versus the Carolina Panthers, with 4:00 left and the game tied, Love positioned the offense in field goal range with just 19 seconds left, and Anders Carlson would make the kick for the win.
“I think that’s an area where I’ve seen a lot of growth,” said LaFleur about Love. “Unfortunately it didn’t come to fruition this past game, but I have seen a lot of growth in that regard and I’m confident that that’s gonna be an area, we’re gonna put the time in and we’ll see improvements there. But it’s not just him. It’s myself as a play caller. It’s just the total execution of everybody involved.”
That mid-season turnaround by Love and the Packers in these crucial situations can be attributed to a higher level of execution by the entire offense, along with the coaching staff having a better understanding of how to put their young players in positions to succeed, but also the confidence that this unit gained and the belief they have in one another.
After the Carolina game, Love told reporters that nobody flinched, as he put it, on that final drive because this group knows their capabilities, and when they play at that level, the points will come.
The Packers laid a strong foundation in 2023, but LaFleur’s message to the team after their playoff loss was that expectations are going to be high and as promising as things look right now, nothing is guaranteed.
Taking that next step starts with attacking the offseason with a ‘championship mindset,’ and on that to-do list for Love and LaFleur will be their execution in those final minutes, but it takes the right play-calls and the other 10 players to come through in those key moments.