How do Packers curb Jordan Love’s interception spike? ‘You’ve got to factor in the situations’

If there is one issue hanging over his Green Bay Packers entering their bye this week, it’s second-year starting quarterback Jordan Love’s surprising spike in interceptions during the first half of the season — especially when juxtaposed against the incredible run Love went on to close out 2023.

And while the Packers coach called the line of questioning “really annoying” in the immediate aftermath of his team’s 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field, LaFleur was more reflective on the issue on Monday during his usual day-after-the-game Q&A session with reporters.

After throwing an interception that Lions safety Kerby Joseph returned 27 yards for a touchdown just before halftime to give the Lions a 17-3 lead — a lead that ballooned to 24-3 after the Lions got the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 71 yards for a Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown run — Love has now thrown at least one interception in all seven of the games he’s played this season.

Entering Monday night’s Tampa Bay-Kansas City game, Love was tied for the NFL lead with Seattle’s Geno Smith with 10 — despite missing two September games with a left knee injury and leaving last week’s win at Jacksonville early in the third quarter with a left groin injury. The Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes entered their matchup with nine INTs apiece, right behind Love and Smith.

And Love’s high interception percentage (4.2%) and number of pick-6s (two) are especially alarming because he rarely put the ball in harm’s way down the stretch last season.

Leading the Packers to six victories in their final eight games to earn the NFC’s seventh and final playoff berth, Love completed 70.3% of his passes for 2,150 yards with 18 touchdowns and just one interception (112.7 passer rating) to close out the 2023 regular season.

But with Sunday’s game-changing interception with 32 seconds left until halftime, Love enters the bye week having completed 61.3% of his passes for 1,820 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 INTs (88.2 rating)

Confronted with that disparity Monday, LaFleur emphasized multiple times that every interception is different and that the circumstances surrounding each one are different, too.

That said, LaFleur did seem to acknowledge a throughline: Love, at times, being so confident in his play-making ability and so driven to make something happen that he loses sight of the circumstances, which might dictate playing it safe and mitigating risk.

For as much as LaFleur loves Love’s talent and aggressive mentality, sometimes it’s wiser to live to fight another day. And with his team within 10-3 with halftime approaching, Love picked a bad time to take an unnecessary risk.

“You do have to factor in the situation of when you’re going to play really aggressive, and when you play (for) the next play,” LaFleur said. “I think he would agree with you that in that situation, he’s just got to throw the ball away and live to play the next down.

“I do think that’s one of his strengths, his ability to make off-schedule (plays) and not wanting to give up on a play. And I admire that. But you’ve got to factor in the situations.

“Just to make a blanket statement, I don’t think that’s fair. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but it didn’t work out very well and that was obviously a pivotal play in the game.”

LaFleur had dialed up a deep shot play to wide receiver Jayden Reed, who was wide open downfield for what might’ve been at least a 30- or 40-yard gain — or perhaps a 62-yard touchdown — had Love not been pressured from the left side of the Packers’ line.

“It’s definitely disappointing. (I’m) putting the ball in jeopardy way too many times and it’s definitely something I have to clean up,” said Love, who recently discussed the challenge of knowing when to take risks and when to play it safe.

“I’ve talked about it week after week, so it’s something I’ve just got to learn from and clean it up. Definitely something that I’m going to make a big focus on going forward, of just finding ways to take care of the ball better.”

“It’s that fine line of being smart with the ball and not putting it in harm’s way and balancing trying to make a play versus throwing it away and living to fight another day.”