Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Showed Something That Was Missing Last Year at Family Night

The 2024 season was a difficult one for Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. He suffered an injury in the season opener against the Eagles in Sao Paulo and never fully recovered. He missed two full games and parts of two others while never consistently showing the form that made him a dominant quarterback during the second half of 2023. But at Family Night on Saturday, Love showed something that was missing last year. That has to be very encouraging for the Packers coaching staff.

Packers QB Jordan Love Showed Something That Was Missing Last Year: Background

When Love entered the league in 2020, one of the traits that the Packers liked in him was his ability to evade the rush when necessary. While Love was not as fast as Lamar Jackson, he was capable of picking up key first downs when pressure came or holding onto the ball and evading the rush long enough to get a pass away when the designed play broke down.

In his first season as a starter in 2023, Love ran the football 49 times for 247 yards, a 4.9-yard average per rush. He lived up to his advanced scouting report by evading the rush and extending plays. He also ran for 16 first downs or roughly an average of one per game.

Last season, when injuries struck, Love curtailed his running. He was less capable of avoiding the rush and he gained just 83 yards on 23 carries. Not only were his carries down by more than 50 percent but his average yards per carry went down to 3.3, a reduction of more than a yard and a half per carry. He ran for just nine first downs, a little more than half the number he picked up the previous season.

Simply put, Love was less mobile, and the reduced mobility hampered his game in many ways.

Family Night Shows a Change

But on Family Night at Lambeau Field on Saturday, we saw a more mobile version of Love. He not only ran out of the pocket for an 18-yard gain on one play but seemed much more confident in his ability to escape the pocket and evade defenders. Even though the quarterback was wearing the red, no-contact jersey at Family Night, the difference was blatantly obvious.

Last season, the Packers offense had a more mobile quarterback when Malik Willis was in the lineup. Willis gained 138 yards on 20 carries and averaged 6.9-yards per rush. He ran for six first downs and one touchdown despite starting two games and getting substantial playing time in just two more.

Ultimately, the mobility that Willis brought to the table was helpful to the offense although Matt LaFleur had to adjust his play calling to suit Willis’ strengths and skill set.

Packers QB Jordan Love Showed Something That Was Missing Last Year: Looking Ahead

The Packers coaching staff wants to see Love run more often. If he stays healthy, this should be something we see more of like we did at Family Night on Saturday.

When asked if Love should run more frequently, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich was direct.  “Absolutely,” he said after practice last week. “Anytime you get an opportunity to escape the pocket, or the defense gives you a rush lane to run through, I think that’s a huge weapon. And Jordan has that ability to make some big plays down the field. So, yeah, and we encourage that for sure.”

The key question is how much Love will be willing to run and how effective he can be doing it. His past history indicates that he can be effective in this area, although don’t expect him to become the next great running quarterback in the NFL.

If Love returns to his 2023 form, he should give the Green Bay offense a dimension it often lacked last year because of Love’s limitations. That will only help the Packers attack in 2025.