GREEN BAY, Wis. – Toyotathon opened for business on Sunday, and Jordan Love celebrated like always. He threw two touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, as the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants.
“It’s time. It’s Toyotathon time, for sure,” Love said with a smile on Wednesday.
Love’s numbers on Sunday weren’t up to his Toyotathon standard. He went only 13-of-24 passing for 174 yards and two touchdowns. It was season-low totals in terms of completion percentage (54.2) and passing yards.
However, with four dropped passes and some other analytical numbers, Pro Football Focus credited Love with an adjusted completion percentage of 85.0, his third-best number of the season.That’s big-time efficiency considering the wind and an injured left shoulder.
Love’s stats from Sunday, added to the numbers from 2023 and 2024, are as beautiful as his Toyotathon sweater is ugly.
Completion Percentage: Toyotathon – 67.6. Not Toyotathon – 59.8.
Yards Per Attempt: Toyotathon – 8.0. Not Toyotathon – 7.1.
Touchdowns: Toyotathon – 30. Not Toyotathon – 29.
Interceptions: Toyotathon – 2. Not Toyotathon – 20.
Success Rate: Toyotathon – 52.4 percent. Not Toyotathon – 43.8 percent.
Passer Rating: Toyotathon – 110.5. Not Toyotathon – 83.9.
Team Record: Toyotathon – 12-5. Not Toyotathon – 7-9.
In 17 career Toyotathon games, Love has a 100-plus passer rating in 13. In those 13 games, the Packers are 12-1.
“I think it’s just something that’s cool,” Love said. “It’s just something that, obviously, I think the fans kind of took it and ran with it and made it a thing. Now it’s here, but I think it is definitely interesting. You look at the stats and things like that, and it’s a wild scenario but I think it’s cool and, obviously, some cool things have happened off of it.”
Jordan Love's Toyotathon greatness is captured by this limited-edition Panini American football card.
Jordan Love's Toyotathon greatness is captured by this limited-edition Panini American football card. / Photo courtesy of Toyota
This isn’t just another Toyotathon story about the most random sporting coincidence imaginable. The “cool things” aren’t the sweaters and limited-edition trading cards. Rather, it’s about the “cool things that have happened” because of Love’s red-hot play.
It’s about, to adapt Toyota’s slogan, the Packers having a chance to go places when Love gets behind the wheel this time of year.
Toyotathon corresponds roughly with the stretch run to the season, with this year’s event set to end one day after the conclusion of the regular season.
Love’s performance down the stretch in 2023 and 2024, as evidenced by a passer rating that improves by 26.6 points, is a major reason why the Packers reached the playoffs the previous two seasons. If he keeps it up on Sunday against the Vikings, on Thanksgiving against the Lions and so on, the Packers will reach the playoffs again.
When it comes to that success, Love didn’t toot his own horn. Instead, he is happy to ride shotgun with his teammates.
“I think that’s for everybody on our offense,” Love said. “I think we start to get in a better groove, start to get in that rhythm of making plays. For me, it’s understanding I’ve been through some games now throughout the season and understanding what I need to do in every situation and being smart with the ball and finding completions at all times, and then guys just making plays.
“But I think as the season goes on, I think we build that confidence, get into a little bit of a groove in all phases and go out there and make plays.”
The Packers will have to continue making those plays because they’re about to drive out of the used-car lot to a luxury-car dealership.
Green Bay’s first 10 opponents have a combined .422 winning percentage. That’s tied for the fifth-easiest schedule in the league, with only Chicago having played an easier schedule among the NFC teams. Down the stretch, the Packers’ final seven opponents have a combined .592 winning percentage. That’s tied with Chicago for the toughest schedule in the NFL.
Five of the final seven games will be played against NFC North rivals. The other games are against the Broncos, who have the best record in the AFC, and the Ravens, who have won four in a row to save their season.
For Green Bay, which is a half-game behind Chicago for the NFC North lead and a half-game ahead of Detroit for the final playoff spot in the conference, its hopes will rest on Love’s ability to hop in the driver’s seat and hit the gas for another Toyotathon filled with touchdown passes and victories.
“I think you look at the teams in our division, everybody’s in it,” Love said. “Everybody’s kind of got similar records and, obviously, we’ll be playing everybody here at the back half. So, definitely some games we’re going to have to go out there and win. But the NFC North is wide open, and we’ve got to take advantage of these games to go out there and go win it, but yeah, it’s an interesting schedule.”
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