How did Jordan Love compare to previous Packers QBs in his first start against the Bears?

Dating back to the 1988 season, five different Packers quarterbacks have had the chance to do one of the most important things a Packers quarterback can do: beat the Bears in his first start against the team.

Jordan Love’s debut start went about as well as it possibly could have as the Packers rocked the Bears 38-20 on the road to open their 2023 campaign with a win. How did his effort compare to his predecessors’? Here’s a quick statistical look.

Counting stats aren’t everything (consider how many of Love’s yards came after the catch courtesy of some great scheming by Matt LaFleur and great work with the ball by Aaron Jones), but Love’s numbers look better than pretty much anybody else’s.

His 245 yards are the most of any of the last five quarterbacks to make a start against the Bears, and his three touchdowns are also easily the most. He’s also one of only two players to avoid an interception in his first start against the Bears, along with Brett Hundley in one of the few bright spots of his brief tenure as the Packers’ starting quarterback.

Love’s help is evident in these stats; he was only sacked once (and admitted postgame the takedown was largely his fault). It’s a lot easier to put up solid stats if you’ve got a clean pocket from which to operate. Still, even if the Bears aren’t any good at all, it’s never a bad thing to beat up on the Packers’ oldest rival, and Love’s great first effort against the Bears was a big reason why the Packers were able to do just that.