Jordan Love Earns Comparison to Patrick Mahomes From Former NFL QB

How good was Packers QB Jordan Love on the critical two-point play vs. the Saints? Here's the breakdown from Dan Orlovsky.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Sep 25, 2023 12:51 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – “That’s a pretty freakin’ sick play, Jordan Love.”

That was former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky’s analysis of Love’s two-point pass to Samori Toure, a key play in the Green Bay Packers’ 18-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The Packers had just pulled within 17-9 on Love’s fourth-and-goal touchdown run in which he juked All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis. Coach Matt LaFleur kept the offense on the field for the two.

The upside: If successful, another touchdown (and extra point) would give the Packers the lead. The downside: If unsuccessful, the Packers would need another touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the score.

“I was on the field so I didn’t really have a lot of conversation, but I think it’s just Matt just trusting us and trusting we’re going to go make a play,” Love said after the game. “It turned out to be huge for us, to be able to go for that and convert it. Really just having that momentum and capitalizing on that, it was huge for the whole team.”

Said LaFleur: “I didn’t feel great about the play call, and then the execution definitely was not how we practiced it, but I have a lot of belief in the way our quarterback was playing. He was making off-schedule plays.”

On the play, receiver Jayden Reed motioned from left to right, then darted back to the right. Love immediately looked right, but Romeo Doubs wasn’t open and, according to LaFleur, Reed had botched the timing of the motion.

To the left, Toure was open for an instant before he was covered by Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore. With no good options, Love went off-schedule. He scrambled to the right and toward the line of scrimmage. As Davis cut off the running lane, Love looked back to Toure.

“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how long you played. This is a sick play,” Orlovsky said.

Love’s move up in the pocket, combined with Toure moving a couple steps to his left, created just enough space for Love to throw a missile.

“That’s pretty remarkable. I don’t even know how he sees him,” Orlovsky said.

Packers WR Samori Toure catches the two-point play against Marshon Lattimore.
Photo by Wm. Glasheen/USA Today Sports Images

The comeback was pretty remarkable, as well. Green Bay’s first two possessions of the third quarter had minus-3 net yards. The next possession advanced to the red zone but Love and Patrick Taylor weren’t on the same page on fourth down.

Finally, with the game on the line, Love and Co. scored on three consecutive possessions that gained 206 net yards and the decisive 18 points.

“It’s very hard, especially when you haven’t done what you’ve wanted all game, especially offensively,” Love said. “We hurt ourselves more than we helped ourselves. Just to be able to stay poised and stay confident in what we’re doing and just have that next-play mentality, it’s not easy. It’s a total team win right there. Everybody’s got to step up and make plays. We did it in all phases at the end.”