GREEN BAY – Jordan Love knows he'll never get confused with the likes of Lamar Jackson or Michael Vick when it comes to his scrambling ability from the quarterback position.
But that doesn't mean the Packers starting quarterback can't tuck, run and pick up a few yards on the ground on occasion.
"I think a lot of guys sleep on me in this locker room," said Love with a smile on Wednesday. "I always joke around that I'm a 20-mile-per-hour guy, but I have a couple little moves."
Love has the stats to back it up. He ran for nine rushing touchdowns during his first two years at Utah State before adding 247 yards and four TDs on 50 carries in his first year as Green Bay's starting QB in 2023.
An early MCL sprain and subsequent groin injury limited the 6-foot-4, 219-pound quarterback largely to the pocket in Year 2, as Love gained just 83 yards and one score on 25 carries.
Back to full health, Love is flashing his feet once again and already surpassed his 2024 rushing output in five games with 88 yards on 20 scrambles thus far on the young season, seven of which have produced first downs.
That puts Love on pace for 299 rushing yards, which would be the most for a Packers QB since his predecessor, Aaron Rodgers, ran for a career-high 369 yards in 2016.
"Obviously I've talked about making it an emphasis coming into this year, trying to do it more," Love said. "It's all just a feel thing in the pocket, getting to the top of your drop and really just feeling where the holes are at and the lanes to kind of get out."
Three of the seven first downs Love has gained with his feet came in Sunday's 27-18 win over Cincinnati, including a third-and-1 conversion to set up a 19-yard TD pass to tight end Tucker Kraft with less than 8 minutes left in regulation.
Through five games, Love is still the possessor of the Packers' longest rush of the season – a 25-yard run that sparked a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter against Dallas last month.
He doesn't always win with style points, but it's effective.
"We call him 'Silly Body' because his body just looks funny when he runs," said receiver Matthew Golden of Love. "He makes it happen so it's kind of funny. I think it just goes back the competitive mindset Jordan has to make something out of nothing. Obviously, it showed when he had to run out of the pocket and get us a first down."
Although mainly a pocket passer, Love has the pedigree to run. He clocked a respectable 4.74 in the 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine – just a few ticks off Rodgers' 4.71 in 2005.
Love's intention when he drops back is to get the ball to his pass-catchers but understands sometimes coverage dictates otherwise.
It's a trick of the trade Love learned during his three years shadowing Rodgers, who finished as the Packers' 11th all-time leading rusher due to longevity and his pragmatic approach to running when the situation called for it.
Depending on how the defense is playing you, particularly in man coverage, Love is learning the best option is sometimes to call your own number.
"I'm always trying to find ways to get the ball in my hand and make those throws, but sometimes the defense has a good coverage on," Love said. "It's just understanding where the holes are at on some of these rushes and how teams rush each week, and if teams have beat them on getting out some scramble drills and quarterbacks using their legs, and what's their plan to stop that."
Love openly admits he has some things to clean up. He slid two yards shy of the sticks on second-and-7 late against the Bengals. Green Bay failed to convert on third down and had to lean on recently signed kicker Lucas Havrisik to make a 39-yard field goal to regain a two-score lead with less than two minutes left.
But Love has had some gritty moments, too, like when he threw his shoulder into Trey Amos on the tail end of a 14-yard scramble in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur wants Love to be careful when he is taking those calculated risks but believes his decision-making has been good so far. Inevitably, hard-nosed plays like that can rub off on his teammates, too.
"When you seen him run somebody over, you don't see a lot of things (like that) from a quarterback," Golden said. "To watch him put his body on the line and get conversions the way he do, it's cool. I feel like for us, that gets everybody else juiced up and just put the confidence in us, too."
