GREEN BAY – Maybe the Green Bay Packers stumbled to this moment in time without the rib injury. Talent has a way of making decisions in the NFL. But it’s clear, with the benefit of hindsight, the Philadelphia Eagles will forever be a significant footnote in the Jordan Love era.
When Aaron Rodgers jogged through the tunnel that connects to Lincoln Financial Field’s visitors locker room in the third quarter Nov. 27, 2022, there was no way for the Packers to know what to expect. For months, Rodgers had played through a broken thumb on his throwing hand, the Packers choosing a compromised quarterback over the unproven Love.
The franchise’s sentiment started to change when Love finally replaced Rodgers with 11 minutes, 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Love completed 6 of 9 passes for 113 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown to receiver Christian Watson over the middle. The Packers lost by a touchdown, unable to defend the Eagles all night, but they found something in their young quarterback.
For the first time, they had reason to believe there could be contention after Rodgers.
“It was cool to see,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Obviously, the game was a tight game. I think he went in when we were down 10 or something like that. Although it didn’t finish the way we wanted it to, just to see the poise when he went in. You could tell the moment wasn’t too big for him. I certainly felt that from him in the moment. He goes in there and has success – obviously, he had the big pass to Christian – but he just looked so poised to me.
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“I thought that was a big sign that he was ready to roll.”
Where are the Packers now without that night? Where is Love’s career?
The Packers won’t be asking themselves those questions as they prepare to see the Eagles again Friday night for their 2024 opener in São Paulo, Brazil. When you win the lottery – for a second time, no less – it’s best to take the stroke of good fortune and move on. The Packers are premier NFC contenders now. On the shortlist of Super Bowl favorites. It’s because they have the quarterback to get them there.
Two years ago, as the Packers left Philadelphia, they did not know any of this was in their future. Love would throw only three more passes in the final five games of the season. Rodgers returned a week later in Chicago and started every game down the stretch, ultimately guiding the Packers one win shy of a playoff berth.
There was enough of a glimpse at Love’s potential to execute the franchise-altering trade with the New York Jets after the 2022 season. In his first year as starter, Love showed the poise LaFleur noticed that November night in Philadelphia was no fluke. He turned around the NFL’s youngest offense midseason, transforming from a unit that went five straight weeks without a first-half touchdown early in the season, to throwing 18 touchdowns and one interception in the final eight regular-season games.
Philadelphia was the foundation for everything that followed. Eerily similar to Rodgers’ impressive showing in spot snaps after Brett Favre was knocked out of a game at the Dallas Cowboys in 2007.
“It was one of those situations,” Love said, “where you’re the backup, starter goes down and you’ve got to be ready to get up in there. We did some good things that game. It was my first time trying to lead a comeback drive right there and comeback and win. We came up short, but we did a couple good things. A lot of stuff for me personally to be able to build on and learn from, get some in-game experience. So I’m excited to see them again.”
It could be tempting to make comparisons as Love prepares to face the Eagles again. But this is the NFL. There is little connecting this Eagles defense to two years ago.
At his locker Sunday afternoon, Love called his fourth-quarter cameo a “blast from the past.” The Eagles finished 2022 with a Super Bowl run, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. They lost both coordinators after the season. Jonathan Gannon, their defensive coordinator, is now the Arizona Cardinals head coach. His successor lasted one year. After bowing out of the playoffs in January, the Eagles fired Sean Desai. He’s now a senior defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Eagles defense will be coordinated by Vic Fangio this season. They maintained a cloak of uncertainty around their new system, sitting starters in the preseason.
“There’s a lot of unknowns come Week 1,” LaFleur said. “First of all, I think Vic is one of one. There’s a lot of guys who have tried to copy and emulate his scheme, and some guys have had success, but not to the level he’s had. He’s one of the best in the game. It’s going to be a great challenge. He does a great job of being able to take what you want to do and take it away.
“He keeps you off balance. He’s got enough within his scheme. Then you couple that with the fact these guys have a lot of good players on the defensive side of the ball, particularly up front. It poses quite the challenge.”
The Packers don’t quite know what to expect from the Eagles defense when they finally kick off in Brazil. Love said the opening drive will indicate how the Eagles use their personnel. It’ll take closer to the full first half to get a good feel for their scheme, he said.
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What’s clear is the Packers have a quarterback who will stay composed regardless of what happens Friday night. The quarterback who trotted onto the field in Philadelphia two years ago is hardly recognizable to the franchise starter behind center now.
“A lot more experience,” Love said. “A lot more experience.”
