Love's Legs Made the Difference Against the Bengals

The bye week didn't solve all of the Green Bay Packers' problems, but Matt LaFleur's boys beat the Cincinnati Bengals in an effective, if not pretty, manner.

Self-inflicted mistakes plagued the Packers, as usual, but the Bengals never really came close to stealing a victory — just as Skyline Chili will never come close to being appetizing.

Quarterback Jordan Love elevated heart rates with an ugly interception on the first drive, but settled in and played an efficient game. Love's stat line won't draw many double takes with 259 yards, one TD, and one INT, but QB1 made the big plays he needed to while minimizing further mistakes.

His completion percentage (77.8) was a season-high, and he had a passer rating over 100 for the fourth game this season.

Lost in Love's stats might be his rushing numbers. 26 yards on seven attempts might not sound like much, but Love's legs made the difference on the day. He was able to keep that silly body moving and pick up first downs and impactful yardage with his scrambling, something missing from the offense last season when he was hurt. He might not be Lamar Jackson, but a healthy Love capable of making plays with his legs is a boon to his offense.

Love's leggies might not be the highlight of his game, but he does have dual-threat ability thanks to strategic choices and athletic ability. Love uses his legs less as a pure rusher like Jackson or Josh Allen and more as an extension of his passing game.

In his first season as a starter, Love's legs were a major component of his success. Love rushed for 247 yards on 50 attempts, converting 16 first downs and scoring four TDs.

However, Love was hurt in the season's first game, and though he only missed two games, he was clearly limited. He had just 25 attempts for 83 yards, one touchdown, and nine first-down conversions. Love was able to make some plays with his legs, but he clearly wasn't the same.

Through just five games in 2025, Love is already encroaching on those 2024 numbers.

While he hasn't scored via legs yet, Love is already at 88 yards on 20 attempts and has seven first downs. Again, not gaudy numbers. Love is always going to fire his cannon as his preferred weapon, but when he does choose to use his legs, it makes a difference.

Against Cincinnati, those 26 rushing yards made a world of difference.

On the first offensive drive, Love converted a fourth-and-one with a quick sneak and scrambled for seven more yards on the following snap.

In the fourth quarter, Love scrambled and made chicken salad out of chicken excrement on a third-and-short, rushing for three yards and a first down as he dodged defenders

On the final offensive drive, following Love's most impactful throw of the game (a beautiful 31-yard pass to Matthew Golden), Love again kept the drive alive by rushing five yards and staying in bounds to run out the clock for the two-minute warning.

There's a fair argument that Love should have simply gone for the first down there and stopped the clock rather than sliding just shy of the first down, but the drive led to a field goal to make the Bengals win all the less likely, so we'll let it slide.

Love's legs were complementary to an overall good day of passing and showed why he is truly a savvy quarterback.

While LaFleur obviously didn't love the interception, he was more than pleased with his quarterback.

“I thought he played his ass off,” LaFleur said following the victory.

Earlier this offseason, Love talked about his desire to improve his scrambling ability.

"And then, like you said, just understanding that maybe sometimes maybe not go straight to the check down right now,” Love said. “Maybe take that extra second to find a lane and get out of there and create an opportunity with your legs. So I think half-and-half with the injury and then just understanding when those times are to take off and use your legs."

With the offensive line underperforming and self-inflicted mistakes hindering the offense's ascent, Love's ability to find new ways to keep drives alive is encouraging. The decision-making about when to run and slide isn't perfect, but the evolution of this area of Love's skills is a fantastic development.

The offensive line started to find some continuity as the Bengals game went on, the running game finally broke out, and the offense should get Christian Watson back soon. There are several reasons for optimism about Green Bay's offense, despite some ugly moments against a struggling Cincinnati team. Love's legs made a difference and should continue to make even more as the offense grows around him.