NFL Rumors: Erratic Jordan Love, Eagles injuries, 49ers hot take

NFL Rumors: Jordan Love struggles in Packers-Patriots joint practice

There has been a lot of positive buzz around Jordan Love in the aftermath of his strong preseason opener in Cincinnati. As the Packers embrace a future without Aaron Rodgers, there’s every reason to believe Love can become a competent — even excellent — successor at QB.

As is the case with every young quarterback, however, Love is going to hit bumps in the road. Imperfection is expected, and that will mean days like Thursday’s joint practice with the Patriots. As Bill Huber of Packer Central lays out, it was a rocky session at the controls for Love as the Patriots defense exerted consistent pressure and forced him into frequent mistakes.

Love went 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

"“An early red-zone period sort of summed it all up. Love’s first pass was a 12-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson, who got wide open on a post against veteran cornerback Myles Bryant. His sixth pass of the period was a 2-yard touchdown to Watson, who showed off his vertical jump. However, the four passes in between were incomplete. Two were broken up and one was intercepted.”"

Love isn’t going to be perfect out of the gate. He has a reputation of forcing the issue and letting the defense collapse the pocket for too long. While there’s reason to believe he has improved and grown after multiple years under Aaron Rodgers’ mentorship, it’s going to take time for him to apply all his lessons on the field, in real-game action.

Love has very limited experience against live NFL defenses. A practice like this shouldn’t incite panic, but it’s a reminder to be patient with Love’s development.