It appears Green Bay — yet again — has struck gold at quarterback.
Jordan Love waited four years to take over as the Packers' starter, and he’s surpassed even the biggest optimist’s expectations so far. He entered the playoffs as arguably the NFL’s hottest quarterback, and proved the spotlight wasn’t too big with a memorable playoff debut.
His lights out performance led the Packers to a 48-32 win as they became the first No. 7 seed to ever win a playoff game since it was added in 2020.
Love was on the precipice of recording the third-ever perfect passer rating in a playoff game, joining Peyton Manning in 2018 and Terry Bradshaw in 1986. However, a late drop by Tucker Kraft with Green Bay up big in the final minutes dipped his passer rating to 157.2.
Love finished the game 16-of-21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns, authoring the fifth-biggest upset for a quarterback making his first postseason start in the Super Bowl era. Green Bay was a 7.5-point dog, yet cruised to a double-digit victory. The win was especially sweet for Love as he earned a $500,000 incentive, which is massive considering his base salary was $1.01 million this season.
The Packers are a team nobody wants to face, which is in stark contrast to expectations before the season started. Green Bay was +6600 to win Super Bowl in the preseason. It was the team’s longest odds since being listed at 100-1 in 2006. The Packers finished with nine wins, besting a win total set at 7.5 that was their lowest since 2007.
Green Bay was also plus money (+165) to make the playoffs in the preseason for the first time since 2009 (+100).
Love’s performance came on the heels of C.J. Stroud’s lights-out game Saturday against the Browns. This year’s No. 2 overall pick finished 16-of-21 for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He finished with an identical 157.2 passer rating. Overall, the pair showed why they are among the league’s top quarterbacks, succeeding in situations where most previously failed.
Quarterbacks making their postseason debut have struggled mightily over the years against those with playoff experience. However, they’re now 18-35-1 ATS and 18-36 SU dating back 2002 after Love and Stroud's heroics.
Mason Rudolph has a chance to add to that total on Monday against the Bills. Oddsmakers don’t like his chances, though, as Pittsburgh’s the biggest dog of Wild Card Weekend (+10).
