Don’t let one of the wildest throws of Jordan Love’s NFL career get lost in Thursday’s disappointing 34-31 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
The throw did not result in a touchdown, and the result in the penalty area was nothing other than Christian Watson’s 29-yard completion. But to watch the game is to understand the difficulty and magnitude of the entire Green Bay Packers quarterback sequence.
Situation: 2nd-and-14 from the Green Bay 26-yard line, 7:57 left in the fourth quarter, Packers trailing 31-28.
Here’s a video from an angle of the end zone:
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The Lions took linebacker Jack Campbell at a rapid pace through the A break, and Campbell made a pristine pass against running back Josh Jacobs and had a free throw to Love in the pocket. Threatening to break his spine in a huge spot, Love took a step to his left and slid his right arm under Campbell, momentarily avoiding the pressure and gaining a second of time. Instead of trying to escape the pocket and run, Love reset his feet and somehow made a perfectly double and precise throw to Watson despite being hit or pressured from both the front and back. And it wasn’t an basic throw – first-round pick Terrion Arnold was running stride-for-stride with Watson on one throw, and the window for the throw was maybe the size of a cereal box. However, Love managed to beat the outstretched arms and Arnold, giving Watson a chance for a great play overdue in the game, which ended in a tie at 31.
If Love had been sacked, the game could have been over. The Packers would face third and always third and would likely turn the ball back to the Lions with about seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. And it wouldn’t be too surprising if Campbell – a first-round cornerback – tackled Love to the ground and sent him off the field, given his path to the quarterback on offense.
Instead, Love’s evasive maneuvering and incredible efficiency under pressure turned a negative play into an explosive gain, and the Packers finished first and 10 from the Lions’ 45.
This game will be basic to forget considering it wasn’t a scoring game and the Packers ended up losing the game. But keep this in mind. In fact, it could be argued – given the situation and the overall difficulty of the show – that this is currently one of the best plays of Love’s career to date.
Despite a tardy start, Love completed 12 of 20 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 10.3 yards per attempt, had no turnovers and finished with a 111.7 passer rating and a season-best QBR of 92.4.
