Through 11 games as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, two players have identical passing numbers.

Through 11 games as the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, two players have identical passing numbers.

 

When the Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, it meant they were committing to Jordan Love as their starting quarterback, at least for the time being. Love signed a two-year contract extension in the offseason that will keep him in Green Bay until 2024, unless the Packers offer him a longer-term extension.

Before the season started, general manager Brian Gutekunst and president Mark Murphy told the media and fans that a decision on a new contract for Love would not be made until at least eight games into the season. Green Bay, on the other hand, was 3-5 after eight games and had just snapped a four-game losing streak. Many questioned whether Love was truly the Packers’ long-term solution.

Love and the young pass catchers around him, on the other hand, have grown tremendously since then. The Packers have won three of their last four games and are 5-6, just one game out of the NFC Playoffs.

Talks of a possible extension have resurfaced, at least among social media fans. After all, Rodgers received his first contract extension from the Packers in the middle of his first season as a starter.

And, as it turns out, Love’s numbers are often equal to or very close to Rodgers’ in 2008.

Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers have similar numbers in their first seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback.

It has been said all offseason and throughout that comparing Love to Rodgers is unfair. After all, the two are/were in diametrically opposed situations. Rodgers took over a team led by Brett Favre that advanced to the NFC Championship game. He had veteran weapons like Greg Jennings and Donald Driver to help him develop and find his footing as a starter.

Love, on the other hand, took over a team led by Rodgers that finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs. Furthermore, the Packers’ front office decided to let all of the team’s established pass catchers walk in free agency. Instead, Love’s key pass catchers have been second-year wide receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, as well as rookies Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft.

Given the vast differences between the two situations, one might assume that Rodgers would easily have the better numbers and record. Love, on the other hand, has matched or is very close to Rodgers’ numbers in nearly every way:

Quarterback	Aaron Rodgers (2008)	Jordan Love (2023)
Completion %	63.5%	60.5%
Passing Yards	2,599	2,599
Touchdowns	17	19
Interceptions	9	10
Passer Rating	90.5	87.4
Record	5-6	5-6

As seen in the table above, Rodgers and Love both have 2,599 passing yards through their first 11 games in their first full seasons as the Packers’ starting quarterback. Rodgers threw one less interception while Love has thrown two more touchdown passes.

For weeks, Love has been criticized for his low completion percentage. However, his last three games have seen him and his young pass catchers start to click and his completion percentage has been steadily climbing. As a result, his passer rating has started to climb as well.

As many may remember, the 2008 Packers went 1-4 in their final five games to finish the year 6-10. The 2023 Packers, though, have a very favorable schedule for the remainder of the season and are gunning for a playoff spot.