GREEN BAY – One overriding Packers storyline right now is that quarterback Jordan Love is on another hot streak like he was late last season.
Love has posted a 100-plus passer rating in five straight regular-season games for the first time, and in three of those games, his completion percentage has hovered in the mid-70s.
Last season, Love hit five straight 100-plus ratings with the playoff victory at Dallas, throwing multiple TD passes in every game in the streak.
Comparing the runs might feel like splitting hairs, but is he playing even better now than he was then? Head Coach Matt LaFleur thinks so.
"This is the best ball he's played," LaFleur said Thursday. "Just when I look at all the little things."
Those little things to LaFleur include his subtle movements in the pocket to avoid pressure and create throwing lanes, as well as his success at hitting check-down throws to keep the ball moving when the original play call doesn't quite develop as hoped.
For Love, he adds the one thing that was probably the biggest issue holding back his game earlier this season – turnovers. He hasn't thrown an interception over his last four games, nor fumbled the ball. In Love's first eight starts this season, he threw 11 INTs and fumbled four times (all recovered by the offense).
"The main thing for me is just taking care of the ball, being smart with it, going out there and finding completions and keep continuing to stack those positive plays," Love said. "I think that's where we're at our best, when we don't put ourselves in bad positions."
Love's health is certainly a factor, as he's no longer dealing with the knee and groin injuries that limited his mobility and affected his throwing mechanics earlier this season. He acknowledged the absence of those physical issues helps.
But he and LaFleur both also attribute this stretch of success to the entire offense jelling and coming together, which is similar to last year. When everything about the offensive operation is smooth, steady and clicking, Love doesn't feel like he has to force anything to get going, but rather effectively distribute the ball to his teammates and let them take it from there.
Love calls it "just getting these guys the rock," and it's produced 30-plus points in four straight games, which never happened last year.
"We're confident that whoever we're going to go against that we're going to make plays out there," Love said. "I don't think a lot of teams have been able to stop us; I feel like we stop ourselves."
Those lulls, such as the slow start two games ago in Detroit or the second-half struggles last week in Seattle, are what the Packers aim to eliminate as the playoffs approach.
Before that, though, is a challenging New Orleans defense on Monday night that hasn't allowed more than 21 points in any of its five games since turning over head-coaching duties to interim Darren Rizzi.
The Saints' season-long defensive rankings won't impress anyone, but the unit has played better of late, including an eight-sack onslaught against Washington QB Jayden Daniels that helped bring New Orleans almost all the way back from 17-0 deficit.
"They've just been playing tough defense," LaFleur said of the Saints. "They've always had a pretty formidable front seven, and I would say that still remains true."
The Saints have three defenders with at least 5½ sacks each in Bryan Bresee (leading with 7½), Carl Granderson and Chase Young, with 14-year veteran Cam Jordan (three sacks) a factor, too.
Pass protection, coupled with the aforementioned pocket manipulation by Love, has been a Packers' strength for a while now. Other than some early struggles in Detroit two games ago, including a sack on the game's opening play, Green Bay's offensive line has done exemplary work.
"It'll be a good matchup," Love said. "They've had a lot of success with the sacks. Just something you've got to be conscious of, but our O-line's been doing a great job keeping me protected, giving me enough time.
"I have to do a great job, too, just getting the ball out of my hands quick and make great, quick decisions, and not be holding it too long."
Love attributed the sack against the Lions to that, and it's the only sack he's taken in the last three games.
Always quick to credit his teammates when the offense gets rolling, Love knows he's a key piece to it, too. But he's not going to say he and the offense have peaked. Not yet.
"Yeah, I feel like I'm playing at a decent level," he said. "There's definitely some stuff I can clean up and play even better, so I think there's still a lot more out there, but it's not bad right now."
