Jordan Love has shown promise as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, but one area of concern has been his accuracy, especially on deep passes.
When questioned about Love’s accuracy, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur defended his young quarterback, suggesting that the lower completion percentage could be attributed to the Packers throwing the ball further downfield and occasional dropped passes.
However, a closer look at the numbers raises some questions about LaFleur’s defense of Love’s accuracy. Here’s a breakdown:
Deep Pass Percentage: Currently, 14.4% of Jordan Love’s passes are considered deep passes of 20 or more air yards, which ranks him sixth in the NFL among quarterbacks with at least 11 attempts. This suggests that Love has been throwing the ball downfield more often.
Aaron Rodgers’ Comparison: In comparison, since 2019, Aaron Rodgers had a higher deep pass percentage in multiple seasons. While it’s true that Love is attempting deep passes, Rodgers consistently threw the ball downfield at a higher rate during his tenure with the Packers.
Drop Rate: The Packers have a drop rate of 6.3%, ranking 12th in the league. While drops have occurred, especially on short passes, there haven’t been any drops on passes of 20 or more air yards.
In conclusion, while Coach LaFleur makes a valid point that Love has attempted more deep passes and has faced some dropped balls, the data suggests that Love’s accuracy on deep throws is not significantly impacted by these factors.
Love has room for improvement in his accuracy, especially on deep throws, but it’s a common area of development for many young quarterbacks.
Comparing Love to quarterbacks like Josh Allen, who improved their deep-ball accuracy over time, is a reasonable perspective.
Love has the potential to develop and refine his accuracy through experience and training.