Comparing Packers QB Jordan Love to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers After Two Years as a Starter

Jordan Love just finished his second season as the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. While Love made progress in some areas and struggled in others, most experts still view him as having the potential to be an elite NFL quarterback. Love’s two predecessors in Green Bay, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, were both elite quarterbacks. Favre is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame while Rodgers is a shoo-in to make it once he’s eligible. So how did Jordan Love compare to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers after two years as a starter?

Comparing Jordan Love to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers After Two Years as a Starter: Love vs Favre

Statistics:

Att Com Pct Yds TD Int Rating
1993 Brett Favre                       522 318 60.9 3,303 19 24 72.2

2024 Jordan Love                    425 268 63.1 3,389 25 11 96.7

Love missed two full games and part of two others due to injuries. He played in 15 games and the Packers went 9-6 in the games he started.

Favre started all 16 games for the Packers and the team went 9-7.

Both quarterbacks led the Packers to the playoffs as wild card teams. In 1993, the Packers made the postseason for the first time in a non-strike season in 21 years. They beat the Lions in the Wild Card round on Favre’s last-minute touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe. Then, they lost in the divisional round to Dallas.

Love has now taken the youngest team in the NFL to the playoffs in back-to-back years. This season, the Packers fell in the wild card round to the Eagles.

Favre led the league in interceptions with 24. That was largely due to his inexperience and gunslinger mentality. He was always trying to make big plays and always trusted his arm strength would allow him to do so.

Love started the season throwing downfield often and throwing too many interceptions. Part of that was injury related, part of it because Love was forcing the ball downfield. Like Favre, Love’s decision making still needs to improve a bit going forward.

Love vs Rodgers

Att Com Pct Yds TD Int Rating

2009 Aaron Rodgers                       541 350 64.7 4,434 30 7 103.2

2024 Jordan Love                           425 268 63.1 3,389 25 11 96.7

Rodgers started all 16 games for the Packers in 2009 and led them to the playoffs as a wild card with an 11-5 record. The Packers lost their opening playoff game to the Arizona Cardinals 51-45 in overtime on a Rodgers fumble that was returned for a touchdown. But Rodgers showed his potential with an outstanding comeback to force overtime. Over the course of the season, he clearly demonstrated he could become an elite quarterback.

Rodgers was much more careful with the ball, throwing only seven interceptions all season. That became one of the things that made him a great quarterback.

Love minimized his interceptions in the second half of the season. After the bye week, he threw 10 touchdowns and just one interception.

Rodgers clearly played better in the playoff loss to the Cardinals than Love did against the Eagles. The Packers offense struggled throughout that game and scored just 10 points. By the end of the wild card game this season, Love was without his top three wide receivers due to injury.

Comparing Jordan Love to Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers After Two Years as a Starter: Looking Ahead

Year three is often a breakthrough year for starting quarterbacks. Favre cut his interceptions from 24 to 14 and upped his touchdowns to 33 and his quarterback rating to 90.7. The Packers reached the playoffs for the second straight year and again won their first game.

Rodgers led the Packers to the Super Bowl in his third year as a starter. His interceptions went up to 11, his touchdowns to 28 and his quarterback rating to 101.2.

Love still has more to learn if he hopes to develop into an elite quarterback. Love will never be Favre or Rodgers. He has to be his own man and quarterback. The question is how good can he be?

Head coach Matt LaFleur stated that leadership is one area Love can get better at. “I think he can really demand a lot because the locker room respects him, and they respect him not only as a person but by the work he puts in,” LaFleur said after the team’s playoff loss. “He’s a grinder. He’s one of the guys. I think that’s one of his best qualities. But when things aren’t quite right, I think he can voice that, as well. When guys aren’t quite doing what they’re supposed to be doing, he’s one of the guys to talk to about that. I just think it means more when it comes from your quarterback than it does from me or one of our other coaches.”

Love’s decision making will also need some fine tuning as will his accuracy. He is already a very good NFL starting quarterback. He can still develop into an elite quarterback.