Jordan Love’s Interception on ‘Perfect Play’ Just ‘Part of Our Journey’
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons said the Green Bay Packers had the “perfect offensive play” called for the fateful third-and-20 on Sunday.
“That was very nice of him,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday.
The “perfect” play led to an imperfect inning for the Packers, with Love’s bomb to Samori Toure landing in the hands of Broncos safety P.J. Locke for the game-sealing interception.
After the game, a 19-17 verdict that dropped the team to 2-4, LaFleur took the blame and said he should have called a different play designed to pick up a portion of the required yards. Perhaps that’s true, though Simmons’ comment suggests the play was great but the execution was terrible.
LaFleur said the timing was to blame.
“I think (Locke) did a really nice job of playing the route. I think it’s more of a timing mechanism,” LaFleur said. “The further a guy gets down the field, the further the ball hangs up in the air, then guys have an opportunity to make a play on the ball.”
And that’s what happened. Love’s ball hung in the air and was intercepted by Locke, a safety he didn’t see.
“He played it so well. It was probably not the time to test that,” LaFleur said. “It’d be better to check it down and play fourth down.”
Then, as usual, LaFleur had Love’s back.
“That’s one of the things where I’ve got to be better for Jordan is getting him to understand – and I do think he’s learning every time he goes out there – just letting him know, ‘Hey, man, you don’t have to get it all in one. You’ve got two plays here.’ I think that’s just part of the growth process. We’ve just got to make sure we overcommunicate in those critical situations because, obviously, you don’t get any re-dos on it.”
P.J. Locke's interception ended the Packers' chances on Sunday.
Photo by Ron Chenoy/USA Today Sports Images
Of course, the game wouldn’t have come down to third-and-20 had Love connected with Christian Watson on second-and-20. The throw was late and behind Watson, leading to an incomplete pass and the team’s big-play receiver hobbling off the field and unavailable for the final play.
“Anytime you go through a game, there’s going to be some plays you want back. There’s no doubt about it,” LaFleur said. “There’s no such thing as a perfect game. The end of the game, we missed Christian on that in cut. I think he got caught up on the right side a little too long. That’s just part of it. I think for him, just the feel that you have in the pocket, when to move, how much you have to move, it’s part of our journey together.”
To say that journey has hit a bump in the road would be an understatement. After opening with back-to-back games of three touchdowns, zero interceptions and 110-plus passer ratings, Love among 32 qualifying quarterbacks ranks 32nd in completion percentage, 28th in passer rating and interception percentage, and 24th in yards per attempt.
As he did when Aaron Rodgers was his quarterback, LaFleur was quick to remind that it takes all 11 players for a successful play. The receivers and tight ends are young, the offensive line has underperformed, and top players Aaron Jones and Christian Watson have missed three games apiece.
So, while the results – statistically and on the scoreboard – aren’t what anyone wants, LaFleur sees reasons to believe.
“He’s done enough to show me that it’s all right there,” LaFleur said. “And it’s not just him. It’s getting the other 10, everybody on the same page. We can’t have breakdowns. It all works in unison, so the better everybody is around him, the better he’s going to look. Our confidence in him is not wavering one bit. Certainly, as the play-caller, you put a lot of onus on yourself when things aren’t going well, and we’ll continue to do that.
“But we’ve got to find a way to generate more points because, when you’re generating points, it’s just a totally different narrative.”
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