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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer
CHICAGO — It turns out that Aaron Rodgers might have had to share his ownership of the Chicago Bears with Jordan Love. The new quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Love, seems to have left Soldier Field with a share for himself.
In a remarkable display, Love led the Packers to a 38-20 victory in his first game as the successor to Rodgers. This victory sends a pointed message to the Bears: “Nothing’s changed,” running back Aaron Jones said. “We’re still the Packers.”
Love, who waited three years as a backup, made a bold move by general manager Brian Gutekunst to trade up and pick him in the first round of the 2020 draft. And in this game, Love demonstrated why that move was prescient.
This victory not only marks the Packers’ ninth straight win over the Bears, but it also signifies a changing of the guard. “There’s a big-time belief in that locker room for Jordan Love,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think the guys, they’re going to rally around him. They’re excited for him. They love him. They respect him. He comes to work every day, great attitude, great energy. I think you saw that today.”
Love’s performance did not go unnoticed in the Packers’ locker room. There was a cheer as Love was presented with the game ball. “It’s definitely been a long time coming for me, three years as a backup,” Love said. “Just watching, learning and growing, seeing this team work, it feels good to be out there leading those guys and be out there playing with them finally and coming out with a dub is just what we wanted.”
Love’s debut started strong, with a scoring drive on the opening possession. He displayed patience and accuracy, culminating in an 8-yard touchdown pass. Although there were some struggles in the first half, Love found his rhythm in the second half, leading the team to several key touchdowns.
By the end of the game, Love had completed 15 of 27 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns, without any turnovers. In particular, Love excelled on third and fourth downs, converting seven of them for first downs.
Left guard Elgton Jenkins expressed his optimism about Love, stating, “I feel like he can be a top-five quarterback. I’m always optimistic about my teammates, but I definitely feel like Jordan can be one of those guys.”
This victory signifies a new era for the Packers, with Love as the face of the franchise. While he still has a long way to go to match Rodgers’ record against the Bears, cornerback Jaire Alexander summed it up best: “[The] Pack is back.”
Or perhaps the Packers never left, even with Rodgers’ departure to the New York Jets. Love’s confident mindset before the game and his impressive performance prove that the Packers are still a force to be reckoned with.
“I definitely yesterday was visualizing just having a win, coming off the field after a win; I kept telling myself, ‘I’m going to play great, we’re all going to play great,'” Love said. “That’s what I kept telling myself over and over again. And woke up today doing the same thing, just visualizing that we were going to get this win and we were going to play great today.”
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