GREEN BAY – Jordan Love didn't hesitate.
Asked Wednesday if he's worried about being rusty at all for Saturday night's NFC Wild Card playoff matchup in Chicago, having not played since exiting Soldier Field with a concussion three weeks ago, Love kept it short and simple.
"No," he said. "I don't have any concerns about that."
In fact, given how he put in multiple days of practice last week, when Head Coach Matt LaFleur had the offensive and defensive starters go at it in 11-on-11 rather than against scout teams, and having now resumed the normal practice routine this week, it doesn't feel to Love like he hasn't played since Dec. 20.
So he doesn't see getting back the feel for game action to be an issue.
"I don't think it's hard at all," he said. "When you're practicing throughout the week, you still stay fresh. You're missing some time playing in the game, but we played a lot of games this season. You've got banked reps."
As the Packers quarterback prepares for his fourth career playoff start, what he is focused on is playing his best when it matters most.
He did that for his first playoff game at Dallas two years ago, and for most of his second the following week at San Francisco until a fatal game-ending mistake. Last year's one-and-done in Philadelphia left nobody feeling all that good, least of all Love, who threw three interceptions.
"It just always comes down to taking care of the ball, playing your best as a quarterback, and then putting the team in the best position," he said.
His head coach has every belief he'll do that.
"There's nobody else I'd rather have than Jordan," LaFleur said. "I've got so much confidence in not only him but everything around him to go out there and execute the way I think we're capable of executing."
That includes in the red zone, which is top of mind for Round 3 against the Bears. In the overtime loss when Love was concussed in the second quarter, the Packers failed to score a touchdown in five possessions that crossed Chicago's 20-yard line.
A turnover on downs, a fumble, and three field goals were all they had to show for those promising drives. The offense's lone TD in that game came on a 33-yard pass from Malik Willis to Romeo Doubs.
"Every play is so pivotal down there," said LaFleur, whose red-zone offense fell from one of the best in the league to middle of the pack with the late-season struggles, which began in the Denver game prior to the first trip to Chicago.
"You can't have any mistakes. There's no wasted plays. It just sets you behind the sticks. And, I mean, that's not where you want to be against this defense."
The fumble came inside the 5-yard line by running back Josh Jacobs, who had the ball ripped out in the pile after his initial surge was thwarted. It was the Packers' only turnover that night against the Bears' takeaway-proficient defense, but it was a huge one, and Jacobs hasn't forgotten it.
"They lead the league in turnovers, so that's something we definitely know about their team," he said. "I think about that drive. I'm like, man, if we score right there, really the game is over.
"One of the coaches brought it up to me earlier today, so it's definitely been on my mind. I'm not gonna change how I play the game. I don't wanna go in there overthinking, but I'm gonna run hard and we gon' see how it play out."
The Packers aren't changing what they do in the red zone, either. There's no reason to ignore what made them so efficient earlier in the season, when they were ranked second in the league in touchdown percentage.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich stressed the offense must "lean on what you're good at down there," and refocusing the efforts in that direction, rather than panicking over the struggles and starting from scratch.
Penalties, missed blocks, dropped passes, off-target throws … they can all hurt the effort, which is why it's not on one player to rediscover the earlier success, even if so much seemingly falls on the quarterback, especially in a highest-of-stakes rivalry rubber match that will not lack for intensity.
"I don't feel the pressure," Love said. "The mindset we have as an offense is we've got to go down there and score. Every time we get an opportunity in the red zone, that's where we need to improve, that's where we need to be better than we've been the past couple weeks.
"I think if we do that and go handle business, we'll be happy with the outcome."
