The Green Bay Packers may have suffered a disappointing 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, but head coach Matt LaFleur isn’t about to throw his young quarterback under the bus. Despite Jordan Love throwing his league-leading 10th interception of the season in the defeat, LaFleur came to the second-year starter’s defense in the post-game press conference.
“I understand,” LaFleur said when asked about Love’s propensity for picks. “It’s really annoying up here, though. Obviously, he’s fighting, he’s competing and we know that we’ve got to take care of the football. But I don’t question anything about what he’s trying to do. We just got to do it better.”
Love’s Interception Issues Continue
Sunday’s loss to the Lions marked the seventh consecutive game in which Love has thrown an interception, the longest such streak by a Packers quarterback since Brett Favre in 2005. The critical pick came late in the first half with Green Bay trailing 10-3. Love tried to dump the ball off while under pressure, but Lions safety Kerby Joseph snagged it and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown.
“It’s definitely disappointing. Putting the ball in jeopardy way too many times and definitely something I have to clean up. I’ve talked about it week after week, so something I’ve just gotta learn from these mistakes and clean it up.”
– Jordan Love on his interception issues
Love, who is in his first full season as a starter after the Packers traded away franchise icon Aaron Rodgers, has now thrown a pick-six in two of his last three games. His 10 interceptions on the season lead the NFL.
LaFleur Sticks By His QB
Despite Love’s turnover woes, LaFleur remains steadfast in his support of the 24-year-old signal caller. “You always teach in the rhythm of the play,” LaFleur explained. “When it goes off-schedule, you’ve just got to be smart. You’ve got to be smart with the football in a one-possession game. I know he’s doing everything in his power to make the play, but sometimes, again, I gotta go back and look at it before I can give you a good answer on that.”
Love, for his part, took full responsibility for the costly interception against Detroit. “Obviously a disappointing game,” he said. “Been a couple disappointing losses, but we are still a really good football team and I think some of the stuff is more self-inflicted — the mistakes, and the penalties and the turnovers. All stuff that we can clean up.”
Moving Forward After the Bye
At 6-3, the Packers head into their bye week still very much in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. But questions about Love’s play and propensity for turnovers will only intensify if he can’t find a way to curb the interceptions in the season’s second half.
“We have a lot of football left in front of us when we come out of the bye week, so just hit the ground running when we get back,” Love said, striking an optimistic tone. LaFleur, meanwhile, hinted that he and his quarterback will use the extra time to try to find some solutions.
“If the questions about Jordan Love’s repeated interceptions have become – to use Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s word — ‘annoying,’ then perhaps he and his quarterback should spend the upcoming bye week working on a solution.”
Only time will tell if Love and LaFleur can get the Packers’ passing game back on track. But one thing is certain: the noise surrounding Love’s interception issues won’t quiet down any time soon unless the young quarterback can start taking better care of the football.
