GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love threw for a career-high 389 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-29 loss to the Vikings on Sunday, but also set a career-worst three interceptions.

In his first game back after a two-week absence due to a knee injury suffered in Week 1, the Packers franchise quarterback showed why the organization believes he is just that, but still left much to be desired as the Packers went 28-0 We fell behind in a deficit in the first half.

“I just didn’t play well enough,” Love said of himself. “I think the ball placement was a little bit messed up throughout the game today and I think it got better later on. … I think early on I just missed a few throws and was a little off, and you know, it made it difficult for some receivers on some of those plays.”

Love’s mistakes included a few flat throws on short to intermediate routes. For example, he threw a swing pass downfield from wide receiver Jayden Reed that failed incomplete even though Reed should have caught it and turned it upfield. He forced wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks to attempt a diving catch near the left sideline — Packers coaches still classify it as a drop — when it should have been a simple pitch-and-catch. He didn’t see Wicks wide open on a hole shot down the right sideline and instead threw to Wicks later in the game, only for the sophomore to make a more difficult catch near the goal line on fourth-and-8 at the Vikings’ 32-yard line .

.@k_grugierhill gets your hands on the INT!

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/iJVu45ANrt

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 29, 2024

Two of Love’s interceptions were primarily his fault, the first coming when linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill tricked the quarterback into not seeing him by dropping off a passing route at the Tampa 2 and throwing a tight-window throw to wide receiver Christian Watson intercepted over the middle (Watson, head coach Matt LaFleur said, suffered a sprained ankle during the game late in the first quarter and did not return.)

Then, with the Packers staging a comeback and trailing by nine midway through the fourth quarter, Love had Wicks deflect a hit in the end zone to prevent Harrison Smith from running toward him unscathed from the right side. However, Wicks didn’t expect Love to make the first-down heave so early in his run and didn’t see the ball in time to prevent cornerback Byron Murphy from intercepting it.

Wicks caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, but was also targeted 13 times and showed frustration by slamming his hand on the turf after dropping a third-down pass thrown slightly behind him, the first of Wicks’ three drops in the afternoon.

“A lot of it was just me,” Love said. “I made it really difficult for him on a lot of those catches.”

Jordan Love blames himself for the slow start, saying his accuracy wasn’t good enough. He said his knee felt good after his first game back. pic.twitter.com/KiAHJXEFPl

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 29, 2024

Love had a handful of plays that reminded everyone why the Packers are paying him $55 million a year, such as his fade to Reed for a 15-yard touchdown at the end of the first half and his on-the-run completion to the Wide receiver Bo Melton 28 yards down the right sideline to set up the Packers’ second touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Those moments were fleeting on Sunday, but perfection probably wasn’t the expectation for a player who suggested his knee still wasn’t fully healthy.

“I hope it continues to heal and get better, but in this moment it’s definitely something that’s there and it’s one of those things,” Love said. “It’s football. We play a physical sport and there are injuries and you have to push through some things.”

LaFleur said the team planned to throw more pistols instead of putting Love at center to take pressure off his knee, adding that the Packers didn’t plan on throwing 54 times (they were obviously forced to after they had fallen behind so early). However, on a run, Love suffered the worst blow to his knee when he scrambled and limped 6 yards on third-and-six late in the second quarter but stayed in. Love said after the game that he was in pain after the hit, but that there was “nothing really” as to the significance of the re-injury.

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Considering how scared Love was when he first suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter against the Eagles in Brazil, playing at all less than a month later was an accomplishment.

“I saw what he had to go through to be rehabilitated and I don’t even know the half of it because he’s turning the tables outside of this building to make sure, turning over every stone he could to come back. “,” said defensive end Rashan Gary. “But to have a guy like that, a leader, who is very passionate and knows that we’re a better team when he’s on the field … fighting through his rehab period and still going through the rehab period, that’s it a good thing and he’ll only make it better.”

“I am absolutely embarrassed that I have become unsportsmanlike.”

Opening speech by Matt LaFleur: pic.twitter.com/stUOa86TDS

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 29, 2024

LaFleur noted how the Vikings gave the Packers a lot of looks at the line of scrimmage before getting out right after the snap, complicating things for Love and the offense both before and after the snap. He lamented that the Packers didn’t find enough completions against the Vikings’ soft-zone coverage in the first half, but praised Love’s comfort as the game progressed and his ability to create explosives against Minnesota’s two-man defense.

Although Sunday wasn’t Love’s best day, there was plenty to build on before flying to Los Angeles on Saturday with a chance to climb back over .500 against the Rams.

“You can tell that he commands the troops in a certain way. You never feel like you’re out of the game with him,” running back Josh Jacobs said of Love. “You always feel like he’s one throw away from a big game, one special play away from a big game. I think that’s one of the biggest things that excites me the most: there are people in this room who are willing to put it all on the line. We still have to fix a lot of the things we did, but I think we’ll be OK.”

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Love said he likes the Packers’ position despite the loss because of the playmakers and team they have. He knows the Packers can get out of a hole because they managed to reach the divisional round last season after starting 2-5 and 3-6, but this team isn’t playing with the same amount of house money. Expectations are high given who has returned and what talent has been added to a squad that caused many surprises at the end of last season. The same sluggish first half would play out both inside and outside the walls of 1265 Lombardi Ave. met with much greater consternation.

Love and the Packers need to be a lot better than they were Sunday against the Vikings, especially early on, because if the results don’t match up, it won’t matter how good he feels about who’s in the locker room.

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(Photo: Mark Hoffman / Imagn Images)