As the final weeks of the NFL regular season eventually led into the playoffs, there was one conversation happening that stood out above the rest: The Green Bay Packers have somehow done it again.
Jordan Love took over at quarterback for the Packers after the departure of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets, and after a somewhat shaky start, he really came into his own and definitely looked like “the guy.” In fact, he looked so good that much of the rest of the NFL was livid that Green Bay had managed to secure yet another generational quarterback to take over for years to come.
The pattern that has repeated since 1992, when the Packers started their reign of good quarterbacking with Brett Favre, was called out perfectly by NFL analyst Andrew Hawkins:
“GB Packers foolproof formula:
– Let QB win you a SB.
– Draft a QB late in the 1st round right before a decline of your current HOF QB.
– Let that fuel your aging HOF QB into an uptick in performance, simultaneously making them trade bait.
– Let young QB slowly steal HOF QB’s talent like the Monstars in Space Jam.
– Trick the NY Jets into stupid trade for aging HOF QB.
– Hand keys to young (new Future HOF) QB.”
That post might seem a little exaggerated, but let me assure you that it is not. Below is the year/season breakdown, which has led to 30 plus years of sustainable, consistent quarterbacking for the Green Bay Packers:
-16 seasons with Brett Favre (1992 – 2008)
-15 seasons with Aaron Rodgers (2005 – 2022)
-4 seasons and counting with Jordan Love (2020 – Until the pattern repeats)
And the strangest part of this ritualistic “passing of the torch” at the QB position for the Packers is just how much each quarterback has looked and played like the last. When Rodgers took over for Favre, it was clear that Aaron had absorbed a lot of technique from the Hall of Famer he was sitting behind.
The same can be said for Jordan Love, who looks like a carbon copy of Rodgers (minus the conspiracy theories) with his gun-slinging mentality and ability to make difficult throws look easy and push the ball deep down the field.
Clearly, the Packers are set for quite a long time with Love at the helm. The similarities between the young quarterback and the two Super Bowl winners that came before him are uncanny, and judging by the Packers’ last devastating loss, those comparisons also apply to postseason collapses.
Social media was quick to point out how the Packers effectively “choked” at the end of their game against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs, which in recent years has been “par for the course.” Green Bay rolled through the Dallas Cowboys in the Wildcard (as they often do), but when they matched up with the 49ers, they couldn’t get it done (per usual).
The conclusion of the game, which featured Jordan Love forcing an errant, across-his-body pass to the middle of the field (that really wasn’t necessary) caused some football fans to do a double take. Again, Love looked exactly like one of his predecessors, only this time it wasn’t a good thing:
Those were some of Favre’s “post-retirement” years with Minnesota, but since he was a former Packer, this still deserves a closer look.
Game on the line, and the big-armed QB tries to force a pass into the middle of the field when he didn’t really need to? Yeah, Jordan Love and Brett Favre are the exact same person:
That’s almost scary how similar those two videos are.
Favre could never beat the Cowboys in the playoffs as a Packer, and Rodgers could never beat the 49ers in the postseason as a Packer. Love handled the Cowboys, but will he continue the San Francisco NFL playoffs losing streak?
He’s certainly on track to do so, and social media had a great time pointing that out, among other things:
Jordan Love:
– Owns the Bears
– Beat Cowboys in playoffs
– Choked vs 49ers in playoffsHe really is the next great Packers QB pic.twitter.com/e721C8Yvjd
— GhettoGronk (@TheGhettoGronk) January 21, 2024
Jordan Love following in the footsteps of Aaron Rodgers by beating the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs and then proceeding to lose to the 49ers the next week.
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) January 21, 2024
Aaron Rodgers watching Jordan love not be able to beat the 49ers in the playoffs the year after he leaves pic.twitter.com/pkL80rEAle
— John (@iam_johnw) January 21, 2024
Jordan Love blowing this game to the 49ers means he is now truly a Packers quarterback.
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) January 21, 2024
Brett Favre telling Jordan Love to throw a cross-body INT on the Packers’ final drive pic.twitter.com/V1sEjPqesF
— GhettoGronk (@TheGhettoGronk) January 21, 2024
