Merely bringing up Jordan Love‘s name in a quarterback hierarchy debate sparks some very differing opinions. Some are exaggerated, others rooted in bullheaded obstinance. Even the unbiased takes can vary severely.
Jordan Love has emerged as a damn good quarterback, but there’s always room for improvement. What elements of his game does Love need to refine in 2026 to give the Green Bay Packers a shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy?
Getting Off To A Fast Start
Green Bay’s start was mostly out of Love’s control two years ago, when he sprained his MCL in Brazil in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He missed the next two games, and when he finally returned, his play was clunky.
Jordan Love threw 11 interceptions in his first eight games of his 2024 campaign, then was flawless in that category down the stretch of the regular season, totaling zero interceptions in the final seven games. He had a rough outing in a postseason loss to the Eagles, where he racked up three more picks, but that felt more like an off game than part of a larger, more ominous trajectory.
Last year, throwing picks early wasn’t a big problem, but he got off to a slow start regardless. The Packers raced out to a 2-0 start, but then lost to the Cleveland Browns on the road and tied the Dallas Cowboys. In the first six games of the season, Love had three games in which he threw fewer than 200 yards and only eclipsed more than two touchdown passes in one of those starts.
For contrast, in back-to-back starts later in the year — pivotal showdowns with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears — Love threw for 234 yards in both games and had seven combined passing touchdowns. The Toyotathon version of Love showed up again, but in 2026 it’d be nice to see him summon some of that magic early in the season.
Packers superstar Micah Parsons will miss a decent chunk of the regular season while rehabbing his torn ACL. That puts even more pressure on Love to get the offense up to a quick start in 2026.
Situational Turnovers
Turnovers are tricky to navigate because not all of Love’s interceptions and fumbles fall squarely on his shoulders. It is true, though, that he has a penchant for cringe-inducing turnovers at horrific times.
Take, for instance, his interception in Cleveland last year. Green Bay led 10-3 with a little over three minutes to go before Jordan Love put one in the lap of Browns safety Grant Delpit.
Delpit ran it all the way back to Green Bay’s four-yard line. The Browns punched it in for a touchdown shortly after and won the game later on a field goal.
Love said after the game that he never saw Delpit. Head coach Matt LaFleur tried to take the blame himself, saying he needs to make a better play call.
The very next week, with less than 30 seconds to go in the first half in Dallas, Love was strip-sacked inside his own 20-yard line. One play later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown.
It wasn’t just a 2025 issue. In 2024 at home against Detroit, with half a minute left in the first half and the Packers trailing the Lions 10-3, Love floated an inexcusably dangerous ball that Detroit safety Kerby Joseph picked off.
Joseph galloped back the other way to the end zone for a pick-six. What should’ve been a 10-3 deficit at halftime all of a sudden turned sideways into 17-3 in a game where points were hard to come by.
Every quarterback is going to cough the ball up. It’s crucial for Love to not put the ball in harm’s way in big moments as he has the last couple of years. Not all turnovers are created equal.
Use Those Legs
Aaron Rodgers was never a running quarterback like Lamar Jackson or Michael Vick, nor would he ever claim to be. However, Rodgers was extremely mobile in the prime of his career and had better situational awareness than most quarterbacks. He wasn’t the best runner, but he knew when to run.
In his first three years as a starter, Love racked up his most rushing attempts in a season in 2023 with an even 50. Rodgers had more than 50 rushing attempts in each of his first five years under center in Green Bay.
Love has the mobility to cut loose at times. For one reason or another, he just doesn’t do it quite as often as he should. There have been third-and-medium situations where he appears to have an open lane to run for the sticks but instead launches a rainbow downfield. That can be exhilarating, but sometimes it’s better to take what a defense gives him.
Nobody is expecting Love to be Lamar Jackson, but he could pick his spots and run for the first down a little more often. It’s just good situational football.
Green Bay has a good one at quarterback in Jordan Love — just how good fans can continue to debate in their QB rankings. If he improves in just a few areas, though, he could be undeniably great.
