Jordan Love Torched New England. Is he now in the MVP Race?

When New England sent extra rushers at Jordan Love, he kept looking downfield. When the Packers got a chance to put the game away, he hit Christian Watson for a 39-yard touchdown on the first play after a takeaway. Green Bay was up 42–14 late in the third quarter, and Love was on his way to his strongest performance of the season.

Love finished 23-of-29 for 372 yards, three passing touchdowns and no interceptions. He added a rushing touchdown in the 45–27 win, which moved Green Bay to 6–3. The performance belongs in any discussion of his MVP case, especially because he’s already shown he can play at a similar level against one of the NFC’s best teams.

Love made the Patriots pay for sending pressure

Watson had seven catches for 171 yards. Matthew Golden caught 10 passes for 164. Together they accounted for 335 of Love’s 372 passing yards and turned the extra space New England left behind its blitz into some of Green Bay’s biggest gains. The receivers deserve credit for finishing contested plays, and Matt LaFleur deserves credit for staying aggressive. Love still had to recognize where the pressure was coming from and deliver accurately before the window closed.

Green Bay’s defense also forced four turnovers, which the Packers converted into three touchdowns. That made Love’s job easier and gave him opportunities to put the game away. The immediate touchdown to Watson was a good example of how quickly he turned a takeaway into seven points.

What the box score tells you about Love’s decisions

The number I keep coming back to is 29 attempts. Love averaged 12.8 yards per throw, and his two leading receivers each averaged more than 16 yards per catch. The Packers didn’t need to throw at that volume to catch up late. They were getting enough out of their passes to keep scoring while they were ahead. That matters when assessing the quarterback because a big yardage total built on 45 attempts can tell a very different story from a big yardage total built on 29.

There’s a choice involved in each of those throws. Against pressure, the quick outlet can keep a drive alive, especially if the defense leaves room underneath. The deeper throw carries a higher cost if the quarterback is late or the receiver loses leverage. Love repeatedly made the aggressive choice work in Foxborough. His ability to hit Watson and Golden in tight windows lets LaFleur keep calling downfield concepts even when an opponent is trying to speed up the decision.

The division games give his candidacy a real test

In Week 5, Love threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 31–7 win over Chicago. That performance matters even more now that the Bears are 7–2. The counterweight is Detroit. Love needed 45 attempts to throw for 274 yards in a 20–17 loss and threw an interception. Through Week 9, those games tell you more about his case together than either one does on its own.

Minnesota visits Lambeau Field next, giving Love an immediate chance to add another meaningful division performance. The first few drives are worth watching for how he handles the snaps that offer neither a clean pocket nor an obvious deep target. Can he get the offense into third-and-manageable with a quick completion? Can he recognize when the defense is giving the Packers a favorable run look? A quarterback can tilt a game with those decisions before he gets the chance to deliver a highlight.

Green Bay also has to show what it can do on a day when its defense doesn’t provide four takeaways. Starting deep in your own territory and stringing together first downs is a different assignment from taking over after a turnover. If Love can deliver against Minnesota under those conditions, that will give his case something a second big box score alone couldn’t provide.

Love belongs in the MVP conversation today. To get to the front of it, he’ll need to win more games when the defense keeps the ball in front of it and the offense has to sustain long drives. He has already shown how quickly he can punish a team that gives him a chance downfield. The next step is controlling the game when those throws are harder to find.