GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur was aware that he was speechless. Not at that time. Not in a manner.
LaFleur wasn’t about to divulge his deepest emotions about what he’d just witnessed. The Green Bay Packers coach had just overseen yet another loss, this time a 23-19 setback at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, dropping the team’s record to 3-6.
In light of this, he made sure to emphasize that “there are no moral victories” in a game that ended with first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love throwing back-to-back interceptions to end the team’s final two offensive possessions with the game on the line, even though he mentioned in passing that he thought “there was a lot of good that came out” of the game despite the outcome.
But in his heart, beneath that trendy charcoal Lululemon zip-up vest of his, LaFleur knew this was something more than just another disappointing result.
“It just felt different in that game,” LaFleur recalled in the aftermath of his team’s 27-19 victory over the defending Super Bowl LVII-champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers’ third straight triumph since that Steelers game, leveling their record at 6-6. “I know it didn’t come out the way you want it to come out, but it just felt a little bit different.
“This league is so competitive, right? You look at most of these games, and it’s a couple plays here and there that are the difference. However, I believe that some momentum was developing.
Undoubtedly, there was. It looked different, which was irritating, in addition to feeling odd.
Love, who was erratic and unproductive throughout the team’s four-game losing streak, had surprisingly effective stats (20-for-26, 228 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, 115.5 passer rating) in the Packers’ thrilling 20-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on November 5. Stafford was not in the lineup. Although his sub-60% completion percentage increased as a result of the performance, very few of his throws crossed the line of scrimmage. After the game, LaFleur openly implored Love to “let it rip” rather than appear to be targeting or directing his tosses downfield.
Love’s stat line against the Steelers wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing (21 of 40 for 289 yards with two touchdowns and the two interceptions for a passer rating of 71.8), but he’d clearly taken LaFleur’s let-it-rip admonition to heart. He completed seven passes that gained 20 or more yards, including a gorgeous 35-yard touchdown strike to rookie wide receiver Jayden Reed, plus a pair of on-target down-the-field throws to rookie wideout Dontayvion Wicks and two more to rookie tight end Luke Musgrave.
“Everyone in the locker room, starting at the top, simply trusted it and remained united. Before the Packers focused on Monday night’s prime-time game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey against the New York Giants, Love remarked, “No one’s wavered.” “It was obviously difficult at the start of the year. It didn’t go precisely how we had hoped or planned. However, we simply remained united, put our heads down, and continued working each week, arriving with the attitude that we simply needed to take things one week at a time and recognize that we were a good team. We work well together as a team. We simply can’t seem to get these games finished.
Said veteran left guard Elgton Jenkins: “I always felt we had the guys. It was just about us staying together and being able to play a complete game instead of one half or two halves. We even got things now we can get better at. And I feel like we come here every day trying to get better as a team, as an offense. So we’ve just got to stay hungry and keep on pushing.”