When the Green Bay Packers made the decision to trade Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, it marked the end of an era. For 30 years leading up to the 2023 NFL season, a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback was under center in Green Bay. With the decision to move on to Jordan Love, many assumed that the offense would sputter and the Packers would be worse in 2023 than they were in 2022.
And for a while, it seemed as if the doubters were right. The Packers started 2-5 and Love struggled to find a rhythm with his young group of wide receivers and tight ends. Many wondered if Green Bay might look to the 2024 NFL Draft for a new quarterback. Some were even calling for rookie sixth round pick Sean Clifford to take over.
But then, something clicked. Green Bay went 7-3 in their final 10 games and Love ascended to heights many thought he would never reach. By the end of the year, he had put together a better season in his first year as the starting quarterback than either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers.
Looking back on the season, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when and what clicked on offense that helped them salvage the season. Some point to the victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving as the game in which Love and the Packers emerged as a force to be reckoned with. However, Love himself believes it was a different game, a game which they lost, that marked the turning point of the season.
Love and several other Packers players were in attendance at media row in Las Vegas ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. As part of his endorsement deal with Old Spice, Love sat down with Kay Adams, host of the popular show Up and Adams. She asked him if he viewed the win over the Lions on Thanksgiving as the game that turned his season around. In response, Love said.
“Yeah, I think that throughout the second half of the season, you know, I think really after the Steelers game, after we went on a stretch of a couple losses, and then we got that one win and it put us on a streak going forward.
“But I think more than anything, we just started rolling as a team, our chemistry got better, and, you know, we went through some adversity and came out better for it on the other end.”
The loss at Pittsburgh came one week after Green Bay beat the short-handed Los Angeles Rams at home. However, it was also the Packers’ fifth loss in six games. The loss dropped the Packers to 3-6 on the season and really put their backs up against the wall.
Jordan Love Did Not Play His Best Game Against the Pittsburgh Steelers
In the loss to Pittsburgh, Love completed just 21 of 40 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Green Bay got the ball twice in the final minutes of the game with the chance to march down the field and take the lead. However, Love threw two interceptions that kept them from putting points on the board.
It was certainly a learning moment, though, and a lesson that Love and the Packers would not forget. Following the loss, Green Bay rattled off three-straight wins and ended up going 6-2 to finish the season.
Of course, Love’s interception against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round must still be fresh in his mind. One must assume he cannot wait to get back on the field and remedy that error next season.
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