Here's what Aaron Rodgers has to say about Jordan Love's NFL regular-season debut
Jordan Love made his NFL regular-season debut last Sunday as the Packers took on the Kansas City Chiefs. He made his debut because of the unvaccinated Aaron Rodgers contracted Covid 19. Love struggled in his competitive bow for the Packers as the offense mustered a measly seven points.
.@jordan3love will make his first @NFL start today in Kansas City.
RT to show him some LOVE 💛
#GBvsKC | #GoPackGo https://t.co/gb4lrahLeJ
In Rodgers' absence, Matt LaFleur's team looked average, and Love shouldered much of the blame. On Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers emerged onto the Pat McAfee show after a chaotic weekend in which he defended Love's performance:
"I'm really proud of him the way he went about his business."
There has always been speculation that tension existed between the two players, but Rodgers seems to have got past any issues on the face of it. Love didn't play terribly, and he didn't get much help from his supporting cast; nonetheless, it demonstrated how much the Packers rely on Rodgers.
Rodgers and LaFleur defend Love
Head coach Matt LaFleur also commented on Love's debut in his Monday press conference:
“The moment wasn’t too big for him. I thought he showed a great resiliency, and that’s stuff that you can’t coach. Now, we can coach a lot of the other things,”
Many pundits speculated that Rodgers' primary frustrations come from the selection of Love in the 2020 draft. In a fiery August press conference, Rodgers quashed the story for good:
"I have a lot of respect and love for Jordan, and I understand it's got to be tough what he went through,"
Mystery still surrounds Rodgers' status for Week 10. The Packers quarterback broke protocols consistently. Therefore, it is tough to envisage how the Packers will play things out this week.
Lafleur will prepare Love in the best way he can. In reality, the Green Bay Packers need Rodgers back on the field. They are in no danger of losing the NFC North title, but there is only one playoff bye, and they'll desperately want it.
Up next: #SEAvsGB | Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3:25 p.m. CT | CBS
LaFleur stated that the defeat was a learning experience for all involved:
"It was a learning experience for all of us involved in terms of what we need to do better as a staff to help prepare our players to go into an environment like that."
The head coach also said that Rodgers would also play a role in the buildup to the game irrespective of his status:
"He's a big part of our process in terms of how we game plan, and that won't change this week,"
The quarterback position is going to dominate the headlines again this week. The Packers want Rodgers back, but they also have total faith in Jordan Love.