INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jordan Love’s perseverance was on display Sunday in the Packers’ 24-19 win against the Los Angeles Rams that underscored why Josh Jacobs is such a fan of his teammate.
There was no greater demonstration of Love’s poise than when the passer made amends for a horrendous interception – and got the Packers above .500 in the process.
“No matter how much you get hit, no matter how things are going in the game, it’s good to see a quarterback stay poised, that never has no quit in him,’ Jacobs told USA TODAY Sports. ‘You know, always feel like he can come back in any situation.
‘We all believe in him. He’s the guy. Just the things that he does. I’m definitely grateful. … He’s a big reason why I even came.”
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Love tossed a beautiful 53-yard-deep pass to wide receiver Jayden Reed to put the Packers inside the 5-yard line in the first quarter. Jacobs scored a two-yard rushing touchdown on the ensuing play, the running back’s first touchdown as a Packer.
The pass was arguably the best of Love’s career.
Love’s beautiful pass was slightly overshadowed by a horrendous, second quarter pick-six as he attempted to escape Green Bay’s own end zone. The turnover gave the Rams a 13-10 advantage. Love’s gift interception was worthy of a spot on an NFL blooper reel.
But Love found his groove.
The passer proceeded to complete nine straight passes, including two touchdown throws during a Packers onslaught in which they scored 14 unanswered points that proved to be enough to hold off Los Angeles.
“That’s the mindset you have to have whether it’s in football or in life. There are gonna be somethings that happen to you that are out of your control, and the only thing you can control is how you respond to everything,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Specifically with Jordan, I think that’s one of his superpowers. We’ve seen it since the day he got drafted. He just doesn’t blink when the pressure comes. Last year was pretty indicative of that.”
Love and the Packers are battle-tested through five weeks. Love missed Weeks 2 and 3 after he sustained a knee injury during Green Bay’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In Week 4, after falling to a 28-0 hole to the Minnesota Vikings, Love sparked a furious Green Bay rally that nearly resulted in an improbable comeback win. He had a career-high 51 pass attempts to pair with his first-ever four-touchdown game. It was also his second game with three interceptions.
LaFleur said earlier in the week Love was getting back in the “groove” after being sidelined two weeks.
Love fought through adversity in the form of the first pick-six of his career and re-found that groove against the Rams with a season-best 95.7 passer rating.
The eventful season Love’s experienced through the first quarter of the regular season should bode well for Green Bay. The Packers franchise quarterback is battle tested, which is important as Green Bay aims to make the playoffs in a competitive NFC North division where every team is currently above .500.
“The pick, it was a bad decision and it’s tough but it’s all about how you respond and bounce back,” Love said. “There’s definitely a toughness and I think that’s our mindset. Keep fighting. It’s a four-quarter game. It’s not gonna be perfect. It’s never gonna be perfect.
‘But it’s, ‘How do we respond to everything that happens?’ Adversity is gonna happen in a game.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
