People talk about the Green Bay Packers and their incredible legacy of finding great quarterbacks. This is true. However, one thing not talked about enough is how those same quarterbacks have an incredible tendency to choke in the playoffs. Brett Favre was famous for his brutal postseason interceptions at the worst possible times. Aaron Rodgers failed to reach a Super Bowl for over a decade after winning it in 2010. He lost several games to teams he should’ve destroyed, too. Now it appears Jordan Love got in on the action, pulling a mixture of both predecessors with a quiet 4th quarter and an inexcusable interception on a late throw over the middle.
Everything about the sequence was pure poetry. Green Bay held the ball with a 21-17 lead and 6:21 left. They were in a position to kick a field goal to push the lead further. Their kicker shanked it. Then Brock Purdy, who’d been terrible all game, directed a beautiful 69-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown. Even so, the Packers had plenty of time with 67 seconds and all three timeouts. They merely needed a field goal to force overtime. Love then committed the cardinal sin of every quarterback. Never, ever throw back across your body to the middle of the field. San Francisco made him pay for it.
Jordan Love already has a stigma around him.
He was brilliant down the stretch for Green Bay, playing nearly flawless football for two months. His spotless play continued in the first half against the 49ers, making more impressive throws. Then things fell apart in the second half with two costly interceptions. Once again, the Packers wasted golden opportunities to finally overcome San Francisco. Instead, they head into another off-season wondering what could’ve gone differently. Rest assured, they’re a good team. Matt Lafleur remains a great coach and they have the youngest roster in the NFL.
That said, Jordan Love failed his first big test. It will be interesting to see how he handles that failure moving forward. The road to the playoffs doesn’t figure to get easier. Detroit is already a good team and isn’t going anywhere. Chicago has a young, ascending roster and the #1 pick in the draft. If they land on a QB of their own, this division could be a dogfight for years to come. It’s hard not to feel like Green Bay wasted a premium shot at a Super Bowl, especially with all the momentum they had.
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