GREEN BAY – It's not as though Jordan Love hasn't seen his share of blitzes in three years as the Packers' starting quarterback.
Heck, even just last month, Green Bay's new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon threw as much pressure and disguise at Love and the No. 1 offense as he could during training camp.
So what makes Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his scheme such a challenge?
For one, it's certainly no picnic to start a regular season, on the road amidst the indoor crowd noise of U.S. Bank Stadium, having to decipher Flores' variety of pressure packages at the line of scrimmage, make the proper adjustments, and keep the offense running smoothly. It's a tall order anytime, but especially Week 1.
For another, there's no predicting exactly when Flores will throw a crazy-looking front at an offense. There's no pattern to the situation, spot on the field, or anything else.
"You can get that first or second down, you can get it whenever," Love said Wednesday as the Packers continued preparations for Sunday's season-opening NFC North showdown in Minneapolis. "They're very exotic.
"You'll get looks where everybody's at the line of scrimmage – they're blitzing, they're bluffing, guys dropping out. It's just a lot of different stuff to game plan for."
To that end, Head Coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and Love all conceded Flores presents the most challenging blitz package of any defensive play-caller they face.
The good news is Love became QB1 the same year, 2023, that Flores took over the Vikings' defense, so this will be Love's sixth time preparing for and dealing with it (Love did not play in the second meeting with Minnesota last season).
His ability to make checks and adjustments at the line of scrimmage has also become one of his hallmarks, as LaFleur has praised that facet of his game this year, particularly as they relate to protection calls.
That's something Love had to learn on the fly during his three-year apprenticeship under Aaron Rodgers, because in college running Utah State's offense, Love's answer to a blitz look wasn't to change protections but simply throw to a hot read.
At this level, it can be both, and making that split-second call requires not only smarts but a calm demeanor that serves Love well.
"His poise in the pocket is probably his strength, where he doesn't get freaked out with stuff going on around him," Stenavich said. "He can still make accurate throws with guys in his face."
Receiver Jayden Reed concurred.
"He's just poised, very poised," Reed said. "He don't flinch. He can see the defense very well. That goes to his preparation, studying the film and everything, just his detail."
It helps to have veteran targets who know how to react and adjust right when, or even after, the ball is snapped. Reed said often times route choices are dictated by coverages, and Flores' scheme disguises what coverage the defense is in until the snap of the ball.
So it's on the perimeter weapons to "get all the keys you can before the snap" in order to make the right reads and decisions to help the quarterback. In that vein, experience matters.
For the Packers, receiver Matthew Golden is in just his second NFL season, but Christian Watson is in his fifth, while tight end Tucker Kraft and Reed are in their fourth.
On top of that, the veteran trio of Watson, Kraft and Reed enter 2026 having not played a single snap together last season due to injuries all three battled. That's created a lot of anticipation for just what the offense can do when they're all on the field together.
"It'll be big time," Watson said. "It really just comes down to us making plays when our number's called and making defenses play stuff a little bit more true. So I'm excited for this group to be out there, and I think the sky's the limit."
But Job 1 in Week 1 is handling Flores' scheme, and it's a task Love relishes.
"I like it," he said. "It's definitely rewarding when you make the right call and it's picked up perfectly and you're able to put up an explosive play against a defense. That part is definitely fulfilling."
Of course, it can go the other way, too. If the read is off or a protection check is missed, life at QB gets difficult.
"It happens. You might make a wrong call and all of a sudden there's nobody blocking and somebody is running right at you, so you've got to find ways to get the ball out, or it's going to be a really bad play," Love said.
"You've got to understand when you do make adjustments, all right, where are the weaknesses now? If I'm wrong, and I'm hot, where do I go to get the ball out? … The defense gets you, they're disguising, showing one way and coming the other way … it's just having answers."
Sunday will determine just how many Love and the Packers have.
