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In a dominant 31-7 victory over the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love turned in the finest outing of his tenure as the team's starter. The 27-year-old signal-caller shredded the Bears' defense with a dazzling aerial display, completing 25 of 31 attempts for 367 yards and two touchdowns while avoiding any interceptions.
Love's efficiency was off the charts: he posted an 80.6% completion rate, averaged 11.8 yards per attempt, and recorded a 137.5 passer rating—a new career high as a starter. His ESPN QBR of 94.0 ranked third-best in his career and fourth among all quarterbacks in the 2026 season.
Deep-Ball Dominance
The most striking aspect of Love's performance was his mastery of the deep ball, an area that had plagued him through the first four games. Against Chicago, he connected on 6 of 8 passes traveling at least 20 yards downfield, amassing a career-high 258 yards on such throws. That figure ranks second in the Next Gen Stats era, trailing only Russell Wilson's 264-yard effort in Week 2 of the 2025 season.
Love also completed 5 of 6 attempts of 30+ air yards for 227 yards and both touchdowns. His deep completions accounted for 70.3% of his total passing yardage. According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a 94.5 passing grade—the highest among quarterbacks through Week 5—and his six big-time throws set a new single-game personal best, surpassing his previous mark of five set in Week 10 of 2023.
From Struggles to Stardom
Prior to facing the Bears, Love had completed just 4 of 18 deep attempts (20+ yards) for 144 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception, with a 41.0 PFF passing grade and four turnover-worthy plays. Against Chicago, he flipped the script entirely: 6 of 8 for 258 yards and two scores, a 99.9 PFF grade, and zero turnover-worthy plays.
The performance catalyzed Green Bay's passing efficiency. After averaging 0.057 expected points added per pass play over the first four games, the offense exploded for 0.471 EPA per pass play versus the Bears. Love also recorded a season-best completion percentage over expected of +14.5%, and his 90.0% adjusted completion rate tied for the highest among qualifying quarterbacks in Week 5.
His 367 passing yards ranked second among qualifying quarterbacks that week, while his six big-time throws led the league. Love also became the second quarterback in Packers history, joining Aaron Rodgers, to complete at least 80% of his passes for over 350 yards with at least two touchdowns and no interceptions in a single game.
After a sluggish start that saw passing grades below 55.0 in each of his first three games, Love began to find his rhythm with a 78.2 grade against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. He then elevated his play against the Bears, spearheading the team's most impressive passing performance of the season and solidifying his place among the NFL's premier deep-ball threats.
Originally reported by yahoo.