Jordan Love had his best performance of the season -- and arguably his career -- in Sunday’s 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears. The Green Bay Packers quarterback was surgical on a day when he finished 25-of-31 for 367 yards and two touchdowns. His 80.6 completion percentage was the second-best in a game in his career, while his 137.5 passer rating was his best in a start.
The deep ball was especially working for Love. According to ESPN Insights, he joined Ben Roethlisberger as the only two players with five completions of 30+ air yards in a single game since ESPN began tracking the stat in 2006. Meanwhile, Next Gen Stats had him at 6-for-8 on passes that traveled at least 20 yards in the air for a career-high 258 yards and two touchdowns, putting
him only behind Russell Wilson for the most deep passing yards in a game since Next Gen began tracking the stat in 2016.
Naturally, Love made a handful of great throws during his stellar outing, but one throw in particular highlighted his impressive arm talent.
During the first drive of the second half, the Packers’ offense faced a third-and-22 after a perfectly placed 42-yard touchdown pass to J. Michael Sturdivant was taken away due to an offensive pass interference penalty.
Leading 14-7 and facing a third-and-long near midfield, a field goal or touchdown would extend Green Bay’s lead to two scores. So, Love dialed up another deep ball, but this time to one of his go-to receivers, Christian Watson, who had somehow gotten behind the secondary yet again.
The pass from Love was right on the money, and Watson made a contested catch for a 53-yard touchdown to put the Packers up 20-7 after Trey Smack missed his extra point attempt.
After the game, Love offered a great explanation of the situation and play call:
“It was third and really long right there, trying to get a feel for what coverage they were running—one of those where they kind of got everybody at the sticks. I love the concept we had on, and I was able to buy time. The O-line gave me great time, and when I got out to Christian, he was wide open. There were two defensive backs converging on him, but it’s one of those plays where you throw it up to him. He did a great job making that catch, getting his toes down inbounds, but that’s one where it comes to players making plays. It’s a tough situation, especially after the penalty we got called for. I think we came back, bounced back, and responded right there.”
And because words don’t do it justice, here’s an All-22 look at the play.
As Love described, the Bears are in a conservative look. Pre-snap, five defensive backs are lined up 10-15 yards off the line of scrimmage. After the ball is snapped, only the middle-of-the-field safety aggressively gets depth. By the look of it, Chicago is running a variation of Cover 3 zone.
Meanwhile, the Packers have two receivers getting vertical, with Bo Melton running a deep crosser and Watson running a deep post. The middle-of-the-field safety flips his hips in case he needs to get over to Melton, and that gives Love the green light to throw to Watson since the cornerback covering the bottom third isn’t carrying his route upfield.
The ball traveled 66.9 yards in the air, the third-longest completed throw in terms of air yards in the NFL since 2016, per Next Gen Stats. Watson, who had another explosive game and has emerged as one of the league’s best deep threats, showed great concentration to haul it in.
Here’s the end zone angle, which shows Love navigating pressure and buying time to make the throw. The Bears run a double stunt up front, but Green Bay’s offensive line picks it up beautifully, allowing Love to step into the throw.
When you have a receiver who stands at 6-4 and runs a 4.3, sometimes you just have to give him a chance to make a play. That’s exactly what Love did here, and the trust he has in Watson resulted in a 6-catch, 143-yard day with two touchdowns for the 27-year-old receiver.
The passing game was clicking against the Bears, and potentially a sign that the Packers’ offense is starting to find its groove.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers film room: A closer look at Jordan Love's 53-yard TD to Christian Watson
