Unexpected losses by the Bucs and Cardinals in recent weeks have put the Packers in the driver's seat for clinching the NFC's Number 1 seed this postseason. While the Packers would be happy with a bye week in general, nabbing the NFC's top spot before the final week of the regular season would be even more valuable.
For that to happen, the Packers need a) a win this Sunday night against Minnesota and b) for Mike McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys to lose at home against the struggling Cardinals earlier in the day.
Clinching the 1-seed before Green Bay's regular season finale in Detroit would afford head coach Matt LaFleur to do several things. First, he'll be able to rest key starters like Aaron Jones and Davante Adams, who must be 100% come January. On the flip side, he'll be able supply snaps to key pieces like Jaire Alexander and David Bakhtiari who are returning to live action for the first time in months.
Finally, LaFleur will be more than justified in sitting Aaron Rodgers as the 17-year vet continues to nurse a toe injury. Which is, of course, a move that could also yield long-term, franchise-altering benefits.
Yes, Rodgers' absence offers an opportunity for Jordan Love to build on his small sample size of live game tape. Love started all three of the Packers' 2021 preseason games, plus in Week 9 against the Chiefs when Rodgers was sidelined due to COVID-19. He also saw brief action at the end of the Packers' season opener against the Saints that had already been lost midway through the third quarter.
As was the case with Rodgers, himself, and countless other young quarterbacks, constant trial and error on the field is vital to early development as a passer. With Rodgers generally healthy over the past two seasons and the Packers rarely able to put games away before the fourth quarter, Love simply hasn't had the gameday reps designed to supply GM Brian Gutekunst with a read on whether he's on-track to be the long-term solution at QB or not.
When he's played, Love has looked only marginally better than the unpolished, raw talent that the Packers drafted in April 2020. Every spectacular throw downfield has also come with missing a running back in the flat. He's yet to look truly comfortable in the pocket, ducking down and running when his first read isn't there. Perhaps most concerning: Love has shown the willingness to make risky, ill-advised throws instead of taking sacks - acts that not even the youthful Rodgers committed.
While his character unquestionably shined during tumultuous periods with Rodgers in July and early November, Love hasn't seemed to mature as a player on the schedule that the front office had hoped. With Rodgers recently sharing that he had not ruled out the possibility of retirement after the 2021 season, the chances of entering next season without the future Hall of Famer - be it through retirement or playing for another team - appears increasingly likely. In the event the Packers bring home the Lombardi Trophy this coming February, it wouldn't surprise me if he decides to hang up the cleats.
This is all to say that the Packers need to know what they have in Jordan Love. Will he make the same mistakes he committed in Kansas City against a Lions defense that has played at an elite level in recent weeks? Can he take care of the football and manage the offense in a way that leverages his talented supporting cast? When faced with pressure, can he hang in the pocket and find his outlet receiver? The Packers would obviously prefer that these questions not drift into the offseason.
No, one meaningless game in Detroit a week from now won't be the crystal ball that projects Love as a long-term starter. And it won't be the clear indicator that the Packers need to double down on retaining Rodgers or frantically sign a veteran arm in the offseason. But, it allows the front office to head into this pivotal offseason with more information at hand.
If the Packers can get some help from the Cardinals on Sunday and take care of business, themselves, Week 18 has the potential to be a more meaningful game for the franchise than anyone would have expected.
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