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Love Receiving Rave Reviews After Beating Bears

Packers QB Jordan Love passed his first test with a dominant 38-20 win over Chicago. The national media had plenty to say about Love's first start of the season.
Jacob Westendorf|
Love Receiving Rave Reviews After Beating Bears
Love Receiving Rave Reviews After Beating Bears

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Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love passed his first test with flying colors. 

With only the Monday night game remaining, Love leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (three) and passer rating (123.2). 

It's a small sample, and things can change quickly in the NFL, but for as much criticism as Love has received since the day he was drafted, today's news cycle has been singing a different tune.

Let's start with who is arguably Love's biggest critic.

Adam Schein said on Friday during his national radio show on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Radio that a comparison between Love and Justin Fields was offensive to Fields. 

Today, Schein was complimentary of Love. He called Love's performance smooth, before criticizing the Bears' performance as embarrassing.

Schein was critical of the Love selection when it was made, and has not stopped criticizing the pick since it was made. 

Earlier this offseason Schein received some blowback from De'Vondre Campbell after a segment criticizing Love hit the airwaves.

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky hasn't been as critical of Love. In fact, he has a history of praising Love. 

That continued today. 

Change has taken place in Green Bay at the quarterback position but, according to Orlovsky, the manipulation of opposing defenses has not. 

"The way that Jordan Love manipulates people on the defense is very Aaron Rodgers like." Orlovsky said. 

Emmanuel Acho on his Twitter account hosted "Acho Answers," where he said Love was good on Sunday, but particularly brilliant on two specific plays. 

"Jordan Love has enough composure to pick up the ball and realize  'execute the play," Acho said.

"Remember he picks up a fumble, off his back foot finds a tight end wide open and that's why he's a tight end not a wide receiver because this should have been a touchdown." Acho said.

Some players around the league have weighed in, as well. Former Detroit Lions and current Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay took to Twitter to give his thoughts on Love.

One of Love's predecessors had a few words of encouragement for him, with Brett Favre congratulating Love on his first start as the team's QB1. 

One of the biggest plays of Love's day was a 35-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Jones. The Packers faced a fourth-and-3 while leading 17-6. A field goal would have made the score 20-6. Instead, coach Matt LaFleur trusted his offense to make a play. They did.

The buzz around the play from Andy Benoit of The 33rd Team was what he called perfect quarterbacking in that scenario. An accurate description of Love's play on the money downs for most of the day. 

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated went inside Love's first start as the preferred quarterback in Green Bay. 

The highlight of the story comes from the aforementioned touchdown to Jones. 

Following a phone conversation with coach Matt LaFleur, Breer wrote: "I was like, 'All right, f--- it. Let's go for it.' We ended up calling a timeout on the play because I didn’t like our play initially. We wanted to take a peek at what I thought was coming. So we called the timeout. And I was like, 'You know what? F--- it. Let’s try to go to our best player.'"

The trust in Love paid off. 

Finally, the NFL Network's Good Morning Football got a take from Kyle Brandt, a noted Bears fan about the state of the Bears as Jordan Love took center stage in the rivalry.

"It was a burn the tape type of day." Brandt said.

"This is a new Packers quarterback, everything is at stake. Fanbase really needs this one. Here is some facts. Chicago had a penalty on the opening kickoff of the season, they were stuffed on two straight plays on the opening drive of the season."

He continued, "Then they turned around and gave a nearly perfect touchdown drive to the new quarterback, a sequence that former Bears color commentator Greg Olsen described as a dream drive for Jordan Love."

The NFL is different than it ever has been. With a 24-hour news cycle surrounding the sports world, there will be more conversation than there ever has been. 

LaFleur often likes to say a team is only as good as its most recent game. The Packers were very good in their most recent game. That leads to most of the praise that has been heaped their direction. 

Should next week against Atlanta be a dud, chances are the talking heads will be singing a different tune.

For now, however, it's all sunshine and rainbows for Love and the Packers.

More Green Bay Packers News

Three overreactions: LaFleur will never lose to Bears

A fumble and a fall result in a big completion

Aaron Jones dodges Bears (and hamstring injury)

Packers-Bears postgame grades

Five standouts vs. the Bears

Published
Jacob Westendorf
JACOB WESTENDORF

Jacob Westendorf, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2015, is a writer for Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: jacobwestendorf24@gmail.com History: Westendorf started writing for Packers On SI in 2023. Twitter: https://twitter.com/JacobWestendorf Background: Westendorf graduated from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where he earned a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism and mass media. He worked in newspapers in Green Bay and Rockford, Illinois. He also interned at Packer Report for Bill Huber while earning his degree. In 2018, he became a staff writer for PackerReport.com, and a regular contributor on Packer Report's "Pack A Day Podcast." In 2020, he founded the media company Game On Wisconsin. In 2023, he rejoined Packer Central, which is part of Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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