LaFleur: Love didn't take step back last season

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur dismissed the idea that quarterback Jordan Love regressed last season.

"I think there's like a narrative out there for whatever reason that he wasn't as productive as the year before ... Well, he missed significant time. He missed the better of three games," LaFleur said, according to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman.

"Three games is a significant amount of time, and you're not going to produce as much from a numbers perspective ... and also, let's be honest - we've talked about this - we did have a lot of drops last year."

He added, "I mean, 'What is a step back?' is what I'd ask," he said. "You know what I mean? Everybody has different opinions."

Love suffered a knee injury late in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, which sidelined him for multiple contests. He also played limited time in the final game of the year as Green Bay rested starters before the playoffs.

The 26-year-old finished the campaign with 3,339 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Packers pass-catchers had 33 drops - tied for the third most in the league.

Love's first season as the Packers' full-time starting quarterback in 2023 produced better numbers. He ranked fifth in the league among 30 qualifying signal-callers in EPA/play while tossing for 4,159 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes.

"Like I said, everybody has opinions, things like that. Try to block that out and focus on doing me and being the best player I can be, like I've talked about, and go forward," LaFleur said.

"But at the end of the day, personal stats, things like that, that's all in the back. You gotta focus on the goals of the team, first and foremost."

Green Bay drafted Love in the first round in 2020.