National Football League

Jordan Love is the Packers' starting QB. Here's why he's playing every preseason game

Published Aug. 24, 2023 9:17 a.m. ET

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love jovially made his way down a row of fans attending Packers training camp. He gave fist bumps, posed for pictures and said goodbye to every last Cheesehead on the last day of open practice.

For now.

Love will be back on the field for Saturday's preseason finale, just as he was for the first two games. Love has never lacked familiarity with the offense or this team. He's been around for three years. But he lacked live game reps with the rest of the starting offense, which is what went into the decision by head coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst to have their starting quarterback play in all three preseason contests.

"It's not just him; it's our entire offense together," Gutekunst said last week. "We've got a lot of young guys that are seeing some things for the very first time."

So far, Love has gone 12 of 18 for 130 passing yards and two touchdowns. That's good for a 124.8 rating across about five series of work. More than that, Love has looked better at each outing. Playing in a third preseason game should tell Packers fans — and coaches — everything they need to know going into Week 1 in Chicago against the rival Bears.

As with most things, though, there are pros and cons to exposing Love to live reps in games that don't count. They matter, of course. For players on the bubble trying to make this squad or another. But for an unquestioned starter, is the extra work worth the injury risk?

The team saw a scary situation firsthand just last week in their game against the New England Patriots where play was suspended with 10:29 remaining after New England cornerback Isaiah Bolden was stretchered off the field. The games may not count in the win or loss column, but again, they matter. Injuries are just as real in the preseason as they are in the regular season and losing your starting quarterback because you wanted to get him some extra work doesn't exactly seem worth it.

There's also the issue of Love's backup. This isn't Aaron Rodgers with his eventual and inevitable successor waiting in the wings — who could keep the team afloat, albeit via baptism by fire. Sean Clifford has made strides this preseason, sure. He seems to be developing into a viable backup. But entrusting your team to a fifth-round rookie doesn't usually work out.

The Packers' only other quarterback on their inflated training camp roster is Alex McGough — the USFL's 2023 MVP, but one who has not played an NFL regular-season snap. While one or both could develop and surprise, those aren't the contingency plans anyone at 1265 Lombardi Avenue is comfortable with if they expect to contend for a wide-open NFC North.

Will Jordan Love live up to preseason hype for Packers?

But there are more clues into LaFleur's rationale and why he deems the work worth it. The Packers head coach has tempered expectations on Love, probably to avoid any undue pressure on the first-year starter as much as anything else. And while voicing belief in his quarterback, he also brings the realities of the position, and of the league, to the forefront of conversation.

"We've all seen the growth over these past few years and it's been pretty cool to witness," LaFleur said after the team's last preseason game. "But you have to have a short memory in this game because you're only as good as your last game and we all know that. There's a lot of work and quite frankly, it's only the preseason. We're going to have to keep building upon this."

And the only way to keep building is to keep playing. That's what Love will do this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Then, we'll see if the extra work was worth it come September 10.

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Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.

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