Green Bay Packers v. Chiefs: 5 Big Questions Revisited

Every week as part of my preview, I ask the 5 Big Questions facing this Green Bay Packers team ahead of their upcoming matchup. I try to lock in on the important aspects of the game that will be key in determining who the winner is.

Now as part of my review, I’ve decided to go back and answer those questions. How did the Green Bay Packers perform where it mattered most?

Q: What will we see from Jordan Love?

A: We saw a quarterback that was making his first NFL start. There were jitters, the game was moving very fast at times, and he looked like a deer in the headlights. All of which should have been expected.

However, as I wrote recently, Matt LaFleur and the offensive line didn’t do him many favors either. Kansas City would blitz Love on 21 of his 39 dropbacks, and he was pressured on 28 of those dropbacks. The offensive line did not play well, and the plays called by LaFleur did not put Love in a position to be successful with long-developing routes and often times more pass rushers than blockers.

"“Ultimately, it comes down to myself, making sure we have a better plan to handle those pressures. Certainly we did not do that tonight,” LaFleur said via Packers Wire. “If you call long developing plays, and you can’t protect, you can’t throw from your back,” LaFleur would add."

When Love was blitzed, he completed just 6 of his 17 passes for 30 yards. But when he wasn’t blitzed and actually had time, he was 13 of 17 for 160 yards, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Also, the fact that Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon had only 20 combined carries while averaging 4.4 yards per rush and 5.8, respectively, was a major issue as well. The run game can be a young quarterback’s best friend.

Ultimately, it was a disappointing performance. The lights looked a little too bright for the second-year quarterback, but in terms of what his future holds, we have no idea–it was only one game, after all.