Matt LaFleur says 'pretty good chance' Jordan Love will play in Packers' preseason opener against Bengals

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday there’s a “pretty good chance” quarterback Jordan Love and the offensive starters play “in some capacity” in the team’s first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals Friday.

LaFleur said there’s “a pretty good chance” Jordan Love and the offensive starters will play “in some capacity” in Friday’s preseason opener here vs. the Bengals.

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 9, 2023

While LaFleur didn’t specify how much of Love we’ll see, it seems obvious the fourth-year pro would get some work, given his inexperience in the NFL.

Love, Green Bay’s first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Utah State, is hoping to fill the large void left by Aaron Rodgers, whom the Packers traded to the New York Jets this offseason after 18 seasons with the team. Love, 24, has completed 50-of-83 passes for 606 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in limited playing time the last two seasons.

With the confirmation of Love, the first week of the preseason around the NFL will see many of the league’s young up-and-coming quarterbacks take the field. Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young will get the start under center in the preseason opener against the New York Jets head coach Frank Reich said this past Sunday. Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans later confirmed that rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud will start in the preseason opener against the New England Patriots Thursday.

Peyton Manning gave Jordan Love ‘a lot of really good gems’ during conversation at practice

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning paid a visit to Packers training camp last Monday, addressing the team and speaking individually with Love.

Love, who spent three seasons around another future Hall of Fame quarterback in Rodgers, revealed the biggest thing he learned from Manning during their conversation.

“How are you asking to be coached?” Love said Manning asked him. “Are you a guy that wants to be coached really hard? Are you a guy that kind of just wants to go do your own thing? It all matters. [Manning] said that when he was a player, that was his biggest thing is he wanted to be coached really hard. He always wanted to be told what he was doing wrong and things like that.”

Success in the NFL is rarely immediate. Manning, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, knows that all too well. The Indianapolis Colts went 3-13 in year one under Manning, who threw an NFL rookie record 28 interceptions. Eventually, Manning figured it out on his way to winning two Super Bowls and five MVPs.

Love said that Manning talked to him about overcoming adversity, especially during his first season under center.

“The biggest thing is just keep going, never let your head down,” Love said. “It’s not going to be perfect. There’s going to be losses. It’s not going to be a perfect season every year… It’s finding that capability to bounce back when not everything’s perfect. Peyton talked about that. That’s his biggest thing, handling adversity.

“He said he went — I don’t know exactly what it was — like 3-13 his rookie year… Talked about having the rookie interception stat that he holds right now… Then obviously his second year they bounced back and went like 13-3.”