Introduction
The Green Bay Packers’ 25-year streak of having a starting quarterback who lasted more than one season is in jeopardy after Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After getting rocked on a big hit by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, Rodgers was forced to leave the game and did not return. He later revealed that he had suffered a second concussion in less than two weeks.
As soon as he exited the contest, backup Tim Boyle took over on offense for Green Bay — but it was clear from the beginning that coach Matt LaFleur would be calling on his rookie passer sooner rather than later, especially after they were forced into punting on their opening drive because of penalties late in regulation (a theme throughout). After throwing an interception right at linebacker Lavonte David which led to another turnover on downs inside their own 25-yard line with just under two minutes left in regulation (yes, there were still penalties), LaFleur finally gave Love an extended look at what being an NFL starting quarterback looks like: Seven plays, 11 passes thrown for 89 yards and one sack which wasn’t his fault (takeaway: these offensive lineman are bad).
GREEN BAY – The next era of Packers quarterbacking has been in the wings for some time now, and Sunday night it finally arrived.
The next era of Packers quarterbacking has been in the wings for some time now, and Sunday night it finally arrived.
Rodgers is 37 years old, an age when many quarterbacks have retired, but he hasn’t seemed to be headed down that road just yet. He has been the Packers starting QB since 2008 and has won a Super Bowl title and two MVP awards over that time period. But he’s also had his share of injuries over the course of his career—he missed eight games last season due to a broken collarbone—and was limited in practice this week by another injury (it’s unclear what). Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst drafted Love in the first round knowing full well Rodgers could get hurt again at any moment; as long as Rodgers stayed healthy, Love would wait on the bench until needed later in 2019 or 2020 or beyond.
So when Rodgers went down with an apparent knee injury early in Sunday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams (the Packers lost 28-27), fans had reason to worry about how their team would fare without him under center. But backup David Whitehurst led Green Bay back from a 14-point deficit behind Love; after Whitehurst threw an interception deep into Rams territory with less than two minutes left and his team trailing by five points, he calmly drove downfield and hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 23-yard touchdown strike with 1:21 remaining that put Green Bay ahead—only for Sam Shields’ interception return for two points to give L.A.’s offense one final opportunity at victory.Love finished 9-of-12 passing for 152 yards with zero touchdowns or interceptions; if any game will teach us anything about how good he can be as an NFL passer full time moving forward, it was this one.”
Jordan Love, the rookie passer selected by general manager Brian Gutekunst in the first round of April’s draft, was thrust into his first NFL action well ahead of schedule in a Week 6 matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Love, the rookie passer selected by general manager Brian Gutekunst in the first round of April’s draft, was thrust into his first NFL action well ahead of schedule in a Week 6 matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rodgers was injured on a hit from Jackson and did not return to the game.
Love was 7-of-16 for just 40 yards with an interception as he struggled to find any rhythm behind a porous offensive line that couldn’t protect him from a relentless pass rush. The Packers fell to 2-4-1 on Sunday afternoon when they lost 27–17 at Lambeau Field to fall further behind in their divisional race with the Bears (3–3) and Vikings (4–2–1).
After Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion on a big hit in the third quarter, backup Tim Boyle got one series before the Packers decided to give Love an extended look to close out the game.
The Green Bay Packers are 0-3 for the first time since 2007, so it’s no surprise that their quarterback situation is still a question mark. Aaron Rodgers suffered a concussion on a big hit in the third quarter, and backup Tim Boyle got one series before the Packers decided to give Love an extended look to close out the game.
Love was solid but not spectacular in his first career start—he finished 20-of-36 for 142 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions—but there were some good signs for him moving forward. He led Green Bay on three scoring drives (two field goals and one touchdown) while completing passes at all three levels of the field: short throws underneath; medium routes between 10-20 yards downfield; and deep balls well beyond 20 yards out of his strike zone.*
On his first drive, Love completed 4 of 5 passes for 26 yards but was sacked twice — only one of which was his fault — in a three-and-out performance.
Love completed 4 of 5 passes for 26 yards but was sacked twice — only one of which was his fault — in a three-and-out performance.
The rookie led no scoring drives in his debut and completed 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards, including an impressive 10-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the Packers’ second possession that drew a flag for defensive pass interference.
Although he led no scoring drives in his debut, completing 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards and a passer rating of 81.9 as Green Bay fell 38-10, there was no shortage of intrigue surrounding what he could do in game action with a full week of practice reps as Rodgers’ backup.
Although he led no scoring drives in his debut, completing 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards and a passer rating of 81.9 as Green Bay fell 38-10, there was no shortage of intrigue surrounding what he could do in game action with a full week of practice reps as Rodgers’ backup.
Beating the Bears isn’t necessarily an indicator that everything will turn out fine and dandy for Love, who instead may have just been playing in one of those games where things went right for him despite his inexperience. But with plenty more learning on the horizon, it’s encouraging to see the rookie make some big plays while avoiding turnovers against Chicago—which should help him develop into a competent NFL quarterback over time.
The NFL’s most successful starting quarterback streak might be over.
It’s not a good sign for the Packers that Aaron Rodgers is out for the season.
Rodgers has been one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history; his streak of consecutive starts might be over after he suffered a broken collarbone against the Vikings on Sunday. The last time Rodgers missed time due to injury was in 2016, when he hurt his shoulder during a game against Minnesota and missed seven games. He returned late in 2016 and won Super Bowl 50 with Green Bay as Brett Favre stood on the sidelines as an assistant coach following his retirement from football. That’s how good Rodgers has been for this team: When he misses time, it hurts them so much that Favre returns to help them win another championship.
This might be different now though because there are no guarantees about what happens next season if Rodgers does indeed miss all 16 games next year—and maybe longer depending on how serious these injuries turn out to be?
Conclusion
The Packers’ offense has been one of the most competitive units in the NFL all season long, but with Aaron Rodgers sidelined with a concussion, they’ll need to find a way to avoid being shut out by Tampa Bay. In his first NFL action, Jordan Love got some experience against some Buccaneers defenders who were more interested in laying out their quarterback than playing defense. The rookie passer completed 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards on Sunday night and led no scoring drives — although he did get sacked twice — as Green Bay fell 38-10 at Raymond James Stadium.
