Jordan Love’s first four games have told a clear story: the Green Bay Packers quarterback has been far more effective on play-action than on standard dropbacks, yet the offense is not using that tool often enough. Enter Sunday’s rivalry showdown against the Chicago Bears with Green Bay ranked 28th in scoring, and the contrast around Love is hard to ignore.
Through the first four games, Love had at least 50 dropbacks and ranked 29th in completion percentage, 20th in yards per attempt and 19th in passer rating overall. On play-action, though, he ranked seventh in completion percentage, 15th in yards per attempt and third in passer rating, a sign that the Packers may be leaving efficiency on the table.
Love’s best work has come on play-action
The split is significant because it is not a small improvement. Love’s overall numbers sat at 56.5 percent completions, 6.8 yards per attempt and an 86.5 passer rating, while on play-action he was at 70.6 percent completions, 7.7 yards per attempt and a 132.8 passer rating.
That is the kind of gap coaches have to study carefully. When a quarterback is producing that much better on play-action, the obvious question becomes whether the offense should build more of its week-to-week plan around it.
For the Packers, it is not just about calling a few more play-action looks here and there. It is about finding the version of the offense that gives Love the clearest answers, and right now the numbers say those answers are arriving faster when the run game is used as part of the disguise.
The usage rate does not match the production
Despite those gains, Love used play-action on only 20.7 percent of his dropbacks through the first four games. That ranked 27th, which is a notable disconnect for a quarterback whose best passing work has come when the defense has been forced to react instead of teeing off on a straightforward pass set.
The Packers’ problem is not hard to see. The offense has struggled enough overall that any clear efficiency edge should be worth revisiting, especially when the team is sitting 28th in scoring. If play-action is helping Love reach a different level, it is fair to ask whether the current usage rate is too conservative.
That does not mean every snap should become a play fake. But it does suggest the Packers have a practical adjustment available, one that could help stabilize an offense that has yet to find enough rhythm.
What comes next for Green Bay?
The next test is whether Green Bay responds to the split by leaning more heavily into what Love does best. The numbers through four games are clear enough to justify the discussion, and that matters as the Packers prepare for a division game that already carries extra weight.
If the Packers want a more reliable version of their offense, the answer may not be a new identity. It may simply be more of the part of the plan that already works, with Christian Watson and the rest of the passing game benefitting if Love keeps getting the kind of structure that suits him best.
