Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur didn’t want to throw the football over 50 times in Jordan Love’s return to the field last Sunday, but all the reps during a comeback attempt against the Minnesota Vikings did provide Love a chance to knock the rust off after missing two games and additional practice time with a knee injury.
Despite an uneven start that contributed to the Packers falling behind 28-0 in the first half on Sunday, Love finished on fire, completing 13 of 17 passes for 202 yards, three touchdown passes and an interception over five drives as the Packers scored 22 points in the fourth quarter.
“Not that we want to throw 50 times in a game, but the more we threw, the better he got. It’s just working through it,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “It’s hard to go out there when you don’t have a lot of practice or you’ve had a lot of time off, and expect to be at the top of your game. It’s a process…I think he looks better with each and every day.”
Love completed 19 of his first 37 passes and was intercepted twice during the first three quarters against Brian Flores’ stingy and complicated Vikings defense. He was erratic at times, particularly in terms of accuracy and ball placement. The Packers turned the ball over twice and didn’t score until late in the first half following a muffed punt.
LaFleur said it’s difficult to not practice and still play at a high level, but he likes what he’s seeing from Love to start this week.
“I think it’s a byproduct of not practicing for a couple of weeks. In our limited practice today, I thought he did a really nice job. It looks like he’s getting back in a groove,” LaFleur said.
Love agrees. The more he played Sunday, the more comfortable he felt. And the results reflected his growing comfort level.
“I think (Matt is) right,” Love said. “The biggest thing for me getting back was just getting reps, getting the throws back down, the timing of everything. As the game went on, I started improving, getting more comfortable with the timing and ball placement. Getting all those reps and throws will help me going forward.”
Love said he’s back to taking the majority of the first-team reps at quarterback during practice. He also said his body is feeling good now three days out from his first game back.
Love and the Packers are headed to Los Angeles to play the Rams in the franchise’s first game at SoFi Stadium. Love grew up in Bakersfield, which is about 100 miles north of Inglewood. He said he’s “excited” to play back home for the first time on Sunday.
Hear more from LaFleur and Love below: