Statistically, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has established himself as a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. Last year, Love was among the top six quarterbacks in the league in efficiency according to advanced analytics. His 101.2 passer rating placed him sixth in the league ahead of quarterbacks like Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert. Yet, when most fans think of the top quarterbacks in the league, Love’s name rarely comes up.
There are several ways an NFL quarterback can earn elite status in the minds of most fans and Love hasn’t met them yet. One is to have overwhelming statistics that command respect. Quarterbacks like Dan Marino and Dan Fouts simply threw for more yards and touchdowns than their contemporaries. They made spectacular highlight plays and put together unprecedented numbers for their era. Although neither quarterback won a Super Bowl, their sheer statistical dominance earned them elite status in the minds of fans.
Fran Tarkenton took a slightly different path to elite status. He was always considered a very good quarterback and went to nine Pro Bowls. But by the end of his career, he was the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. His consistency and longevity earned him Hall of Fame status.
Love certainly hasn’t achieved either of these two methods of becoming an elite quarterback in the minds of fans.
A third way to earn elite status is to win championships. Tom Brady and Joe Montana weren’t the biggest or most athletic quarterbacks, and they didn’t have the strongest arms in their day. But they won multiple championships to the point where they understandably won the respect of fans and experts alike. Both are considered among the greatest signal callers of all time because of their championship pedigrees.
Terry Bradshaw threw 212 touchdowns in his NFL career but threw 210 interceptions. His career quarterback rating is a very pedestrian 70.9. But Bradshaw is deservedly in the Hall of Fame for leading the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles in six years between 1974 and 1979.
Love has obviously yet to win a Super Bowl, although he has led the Packers to the playoffs in each of his three seasons as the team’s starting quarterback.
But then there are the memorable moments and memories that quarterbacks can create. These thrilling last second wins or improbable moments live on in the minds of fans and endear a quarterback to the fan base.
Packers fans first memory of Brett Favre was a last-minute comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 of 1992 that made Favre seem dangerous and exciting. Favre’s first playoff game was memorable as well as he threw three touchdown passes in a last-minute road win over the Lions in the 1993 Wild Card round. The game winner to Sterling Sharpe came on a 40-yard touchdown in the closing seconds to pull off a thrilling upset win.
Favre pulled off improbable and memorable plays, throwing backhanded or into triple coverage and somehow making it work. He was exciting, unpredictable and always looked like he was having fun. His enthusiasm was contagious.
Aaron Rodgers also created memorable moments in big games. His first playoff start came in an overtime loss to the Cardinals, but he threw for 423 yards and four touchdowns in that game and the Packers scored 45 points.
A year later, he had a nearly perfect playoff performance in a 48-21 road playoff win against top-seeded Atlanta that saw him complete 31-of-36 passes for 366 yards and three touchdowns. A few weeks later, he was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLV after throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
Rodgers also had many memorable regular season moments including some famous late comebacks like the Miracle in Motown or “He did what” throw to Antonio Freeman in the rain against the Vikings.
Love just hasn’t made those kinds of plays yet in his NFL career. He hasn’t had many late and dramatic comebacks in the regular season. His playoff record is 1-3. The one win was a spectacular performance in Dallas, but since then, his playoff performances have been good but not outstanding and they haven’t resulted in any wins.
Whether it’s fair or not, Love is also compared to Favre and Rodgers, his two predecessors, and he comes up short thus far in memorable moments and statistical excellence. Of course, almost every quarterback would.
Fans remember more than anything how a player makes us feel, not how efficient they are. Love needs to create more memorable winning moments to be considered an elite quarterback in the hearts and minds of fans going forward. He’s perfectly capable of doing that, but as they say, potential means you haven’t done it yet. We’ll see if he gets to that level in the next few seasons.