Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is shouldering the blame for the struggles of rookie quarterback Jordan Love, who was making his first NFL start, during the Packers 13-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
Love was thrust into the starting role when Packers starter Aaron Rodgers tested positive for COVID-19 test on Wednesday, and the Chiefs applied plenty of pressure on Love throughout the game, with a myriad of blitzes, which proved to be successful.
“This one falls on me, squarely,” LaFleur said, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “Certainly, for us to be 2-for-12 on third down, obviously didn’t have a good enough plan for some of the zero pressures that they brought on us.
“But I thought our guys battled. I thought Jordan, I was really proud of the way he played. He hung in there, he was taking hits and delivering the ball. I thought he did a really good job. But I think that, ultimately, I’ve got to be better and this one falls squarely on me.”
Love finished with 19-of-34 passing for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Love knew his performance wasn’t up to par.
“Obviously, not good enough,” Love said following the game. “I think we started off a little slow; I started off a little slow, personally. I think we got into a bit of a rhythm later. Obviously, it was too late. Just not good enough.”
“I think we started having a better answer in the end, but yeah, they were bringing the all-out, they were eating us up and we just weren’t able to execute on those plays that we had against it,” Love said. “I think all it took was maybe one big play against it, and it wouldn’t have been coming as much. Obviously, we weren’t able to execute it, so that’s why they kept bringing it.”
“It’s something that takes time being able to build that chemistry,” Love said. “Obviously, it’s something him and Aaron have very well; they’ve been together for a while. So, the chemistry wasn’t there yet, but it’s something that I think it would progress as the game went on. We were talking through some things and just getting on the same page. I think it progressed as the game went on.”
