Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images
The Packers have their man … again.
It’s been over 30 years since the Green Pay Packers were without a franchise quarterback, and dammit if it’s not looking like they’re going to be set for the future once more.
Jordan Love pulled off the biggest win of his career on Sunday night as he led the Packers to a 27-19 win over the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football — and while the game was important in keeping Green Bay’s playoffs hopes alive, it’s far more about what this game represents.
Love has been the best quarterback nobody has been talking about over the last month. Early season struggles have given way to ruthless efficiency, and it’s led to Love truly showing he can be the future of the Packers.
Jordan Love, Nov. 5 — Dec. 3
115-for-174 (66%), 1,374 yards, 11 TD, 2 INT — 106.35 passer rating
This is as good a stretch as any quarterback in the NFL, and more importantly it’s better than any stretch five game Aaron Rodgers had with the Packers in 2022. It didn’t come against a series of cupcakes either. Love performed at a ludicrously high individual level in games vs. the Rams, Steelers, Chargers, Lions and Chiefs. Green Bay was 4-1 during this stretch, and so much of that rests at the feet of Jordan Love.
The Packers remain a bit of an offensive mess, regardless of their recent success. The team’s weapons are developing, but there’s still no clear-cut No. 1 pass catcher to make life easier, and the running back position is in need of an upgrade too. This is all to the credit of Love, who is still making to be an extremely efficient quarterback in spite of the lack of weapons — much like Aaron Rodgers was.
Now look, I know we can pump the brakes a little before anointing Love as the next Rodgers. It will take time and he’ll need to prove himself a lot more before we can draw true comparisons with a future Hall of Fame quarterback — but just pause for a second and keep in mind the first starting seasons of both Rodgers and Love.
Aaron Rodgers (2008), 6-10 record: 4,038 yards (63.6% cmp), 28 TD, 13 INT — 93.8 rating
Jordan Love (2023 projected), 10-6 record: 4,060 yards (61.3% cmp), 31 TD, 14 INT — 90.2 rating
With a very easy final five games to close out the year against the Giants, Buccaneers, Panthers, Vikings and Bears there’s no only a chance that Green Bay surges into the playoffs — but Love pads out his stats in a big way to close out 2023.
It’s simply not supposed to happen like this. A team shouldn’t be able to go on an unbroken streak of great quarterbacks without interruption, but the Packers consistently prove they’re the smartest kids in the room in terms of looking ahead, finding quarterback talent, and knowing when it’s time to move on.
Tales of the Packers demise were greatly exaggerated. Bad news for the rest of the NFC North moving forward.
Winner: Literally everything about the 49ers
San Francisco is the best team in the NFL, and I’m not sure it’s particularly close. While they might be behind the Eagles in overall standings — just look at yesterday. The Niners didn’t just beat the Eagles, they embarrassed them. The normally-vaunted Philly defense folded like paper under the weight of Kyle Shanahan’s genius, and truly this team is indicative of the future of the NFL.
Brock Purdy has become the missing piece to how this all works. An unflappable football robot, moulded in the Shanahan system — much is made out of Purdy as a quarterback in isolation, but really it’s a case of symbiosis. Nobody in the NFL could run the Shanahan offense as well as Purdy, and Purdy wouldn’t nearly be as good anywhere else.
Is Brock Purdy a system quarterback? Absolutely he is. Does it matter one iota? Hell no. We don’t need to treat this whole “system QB” as a pejorative. At the end of the day it still requires execution, and that’s something that nobody has been able to do as well as Purdy in the role.
It’s not just how well the Shanahan system works, but its tendrils spreading throughout the league to the point where this isn’t just the future of the NFL, but its present. Around the league we’re seeing teams develop systems that make life easier on quarterbacks and offensive skill players, and if you’re not doing that then you’re playing catchup.
As long as the 49ers can remain healthy it’s tough to imagine this won’t be their year.
Loser: Ron Rivera
The Commanders … are still in deep trouble. Nobody necessarily expected them to beat the Dolphins on Sunday, but their 45-15 loss might be the death knell to the Rivera-era.
Axing Jack Del Rio was absolutely the correct move, because the out of touch defensive coordinator sucked out loud in 2023. The issue is that the defense was equally bad against Miami, the team is still backsliding offensively, and Rivera’s seat is getting hotter by the week with an ownership group waiting for results from a coach they never hired themselves.
It’s difficult to imagine Rivera coaches in Washington next year. He’s truly one of the nicest men in the league, but his fearless adherence to being loyal to his coordinators might have gone on too long with Del Rio, and now it’s all too little, too late.
Winner: Shane Steichen
Colts head coach Shane Steichen is the real deal, and this was a home run hire by Indianapolis. While it was a fairly safe bet that Steichen was going to be good, there’s always a little trepidation when it comes to transposing a coordinator from a successful team and putting them in the lead role.
If the playoffs started today the Colts would be in, despite pushing forward with Gardner Minshew under center and not really being able to run the kind of offense Steichen likes to. That’s a testament to how well he’s been coaching this year — and the team is in a great position to move forward when Anthony Richardson is back in 2024.
Loser: Anyone who subjected themselves to Chargers vs. Patriots
There are so many things you could have done on Sunday afternoon that didn’t involve watching this game. Sorry you wasted your time.
