GREEN BAY — Jordan Love is getting a lot of yards with his legs this season. He’s also getting a lot of grief from his Green Bay Packers teammates.
Now, no one is saying that the Packers quarterback has morphed into Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, or Jalen Hurts — or, if you’re more old-school when it comes to dual-threat quarterbacks, Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick or Fran Tarkenton.
But after left knee and groin injuries severely curtailed his willingness to be and effectiveness as a runner last season — and keeping in mind that he’s always been predisposed to use his legs to extend plays and create opportunities to make something happen with his arm — Love has an additional aspect to his game that has his coaches and teammates excited about the possibilities.
Well, they’re excited when they’re not making fun of him.
“We call him ‘Silly Body’ because his body just looks funny when he runs,” rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden shared after practice Wednesday, as the Packers (3-1-1) got ready for Sunday’s road game against the Arizona Cardinals (2-4). “He makes it happen, [but] it’s kind of funny.”
And when Golden and Love’s other teammates aren’t making fun of how Love looks when he runs, they’re razzing him about how much faster they are than he is.
“I think a lot of guys sleep on me in this locker room,” Love said Wednesday. “I always joke around that I’m a 20 mile per hour guy.”
Asked which teammates doubt his abilities as a runner, Love smirked.
“Man, I’m not going to throw anybody under the bus. It’s a lot of people,” he said. “I have this daily conversation with guys. It’s everybody just poking fun.”
What Love’s newly rediscovered running ability is doing for the Packers offense is no joke, however.
After finishing the game with 26 rushing yards on seven attempts — including a quarterback sneak and a victory-formation kneeldown — Love now had 88 rushing yards through five games.
He had just 83 rushing yards all of last year, when his injuries made his reluctant to run. He also has picked up seven rushing first downs — including three against the Bengals — after having nine all of last year.
“That’s big time for us,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier this week. “Because it’s impossible to always have the perfect play call.”
LaFleur pointed specifically to Love’s 7-yard run on the opening offensive possession of the game which converted a third-and-7 when the Bengals played two safeties back with man coverage underneath, setting Love up for an ideal situation to scramble.
“Early in the game on that first third down, they dropped eight [into coverage] and played a version of two-man. Sometimes the best answer versus a two-man coverage is to take off and run,” LaFleur said. “He did exactly that and was able to get a first down, which was big for us.”
Anticipating a healthier 2025, Love set the offseason goal of using his legs more often this year, and so far, he’s done so — both by extending plays before throwing the ball, and by scrambling and running for positive yardage.
Entering Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals, Love is on pace to rush for 299 yards on the season. If he keeps running at that rate, he will surpass the number of rushing yards he gained in his first two seasons as the starter, combined (275).
“I think it just goes back the competitive mindset Jordan has to make something out of nothing,” Golden said. “To be able to have a quarterback like that who can do those things and then also get out of the pocket and throw a ball, it’s good for the offense.”
LaFleur’s one concern is the inherent danger that comes with a quarterback taking off and running. And after seeing how Love was hampered at times last season by his leg injuries, LaFleur doesn’t want to see injuries slow his QB down again.
That’s why LaFleur was holding his breath during a couple of Love’s runs against the Bengals, just as he had when Love barreled through defenders on a run against the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
“We talked about that one. I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t want you taking those shots.’ I even thought early on in the [Bengals] game he was getting hit too much,” LaFleur said. “I think by-and-large, he’s played pretty well and made really good decisions.
“Bottom line is, I don’t want him to be reckless. But at the same time, there’s situations, especially on those gotta-have-it situations — whether it’s third down, fourth down — where he may have to just go get it. And he’s done that this year.”
For his part, Love said he doesn’t make any premeditated decisions on whether he’s going to run on a specific play. It’s all about feel, situational awareness and opportunity coinciding, and instinct taking over from there.
“It’s also just understanding the concepts, understanding when you get to the top of your drop, do I feel like I might have a lane to get out, or do I feel like I have the throw?” Love explained. “I’m always trying to find ways to get the ball in my hand and make those throws, but sometimes the defense has a good coverage on, and it’s just finding ways to escape through the pocket.
“I think it’s just understanding where the holes are at on some of these rushes and how teams rush each week. [But] it is all definitely in the moment, dropping back and just feeling those things.”
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