Jordan Love is making an early case for league MVP. On Sunday, the Packers quarterback tossed four touchdown passes in leading Green Bay to a 34-13 win over the visiting Arizona Cardinals.
Love, who appears to be completely recovered from his knee injury, threw three of his touchdown passes in the first half as Green Bay raced out to a 24-0 lead. His final touchdown pass late in the third quarter essentially wrapped things up for the Packers, who improved to 4-2. Two of Love’s touchdown passes went to Romeo Doubs, who was back in the lineup following his one-game suspension.
Arizona battled back and actually made it a 24-13 game early in the third quarter. But three consecutive drives that ended in fumbles ultimately sealed the Cardinals’ fourth loss in six games. The Cardinals offense struggled without Marvin Harrison Jr., who left the game in the first half after suffering a concussion.
Love finished the day with 258 yards with four touchdowns and a pick. He is the first Packers quarterback since Brett Favre in 1995 to throw four touchdowns in consecutive home starts. His counterpart on Sunday, Kyler Murray, went 22 of 32 for 214 yards with a touchdown pass. But he also committed a costly fumble deep in Packers territory that ended any hopes of a comeback.
Here’s a closer look at Green Bay’s impressive win.
Why the Packers won
Green Bay’s offense started and stayed on schedule, led by Love, who completed passes to nine different teammates. Love was largely accurate, spread the ball around and received sterling pass protection. He was complemented by Josh Jacobs and a running game that churned out 179 yards on 38 carries.
Defensively, the Packers swarmed two-time Pro Bowl running back James Conner, holding him to 46 total yards and a fumble. Conner’s fumble was one of three forced by the Packers defense in the second half.
Green Bay’s special teams unit was big, too. A 39-yard punt return by Keisean Nixon set up Love’s third touchdown pass that extended the Packers’ lead to 24-0 late in the first half.
Why the Cardinals lost
Fumbles and penalties were the two biggest reasons why the Cardinals lost. One of the NFL’s least penalized teams entering the game, Arizona committed 13 penalties for 100 yards on Sunday. The three straight fumbles in the second half sealed the Cardinals’ fate.
Both teams were impacted early by steady rain and a slick playing surface. But while the Packers quickly found their footing, the Cardinals didn’t find theirs until it was 24-0. Specifically, Arizona’s passing game was slow to get going. Murray was off the mark on several throws, and when he did put the ball on the numbers, he was often the victim of either a drop or a slip from his intended receiver.
Arizona’s struggles in the passing game were embodied midway through the third quarter. Trailing 24-10 and facing a third-and-6 on the Packers’ 21-yard line, rookie wideout Xavier Weaver had gotten free near the end zone. Murray’s pass was a little off the mark, though, and the Cardinals had to settle for a field goal instead of getting what would have been a big touchdown.
Defensively, Arizona didn’t apply much pressure on Love, couldn’t stop the run and was unable to make enough momentum-changing plays. The Cardinals did get one, though, when Sean Murphy-Bunting’s pick of Love late in the first half (after Love’s intended receiver slipped) set up a field goal that trimmed Green Bay’s lead to 24-10 at halftime.
Turning point
Murray’s missed throw to Weaver was big in that it could have made it a one-possession game early in the third quarter. But while that misfire hurt, Greg Dortch’s fumble two series later was the nail in the coffin. The fumble occurred deep in Packers territory and set up Green Bay’s game-clinching scoring drive.
Play of the game
Love’s second touchdown pass to Doubs was a thing of beauty. On the play, Love (who also threw touchdown passes to Christian Watson and Jayden Reed) evaded pressure before throwing it in the direction of Doubs, who tracked the ball down, caught it, then found pay dirt.
What’s next
Arizona will return home to face the Chargers, who entered Sunday with a 2-2 record. Green Bay will play host to the Texans, who improved to 5-1 after waxing the Patriots on Sunday. Like Love, the Texans have an MVP candidate in quarterback C.J. Stroud, who tossed three touchdowns in Houston’s blowout win over New England.
Read the full article here
