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Packers now face uphill in NFC North race
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Packers now face uphill in NFC North race

On Sunday’s INT, Love was trying to come out of the pocket and throw the ball to Josh Jacobs, who leaked out after initially staying inside in pass protection. But Love had to dangerously throw the ball over the defensive line to get it to Jacobs, and safety Kerby Joseph reached out, caught the ball and ran the other way.

Head Coach Matt LaFleur wanted to get a better look at film of the interception before commenting fully, but both noted the “fine line” Love continues to tread in terms of when to try to make plays and when to be more “stingy.” In Love’s words, with football.

“You always teach in the rhythm of the game,” LaFleur said. “You’ve got to be smart when you go off schedule. You’ve got to be smart with the football in a one-possession game.

“He fights, he competes and we know we have to take care of the football. But I don’t question anything about what he’s trying to do. We just have to do it better.”

Added Love: “It’s just me sticking to what I’ve read and if plays go off schedule it’s a matter of having a fine line of using the ball wisely and not hurting it and balancing between trying to make plays and throwing the ball away and living to fight another day.” “

Despite all this, Love, who knows the difficult situation the Packers are in and what needs to be done to reduce turnovers and other mistakes, does not shake his confidence in himself and the team.

When the Packers return from the bye, they have three straight games against teams that have Green Bay’s 6-3 mark: Chicago (4-4), San Francisco (4-4) and Miami (2-6). Before playing Detroit again, the 49ers and Dolphins are now healthier at critical positions than they were in the first half of the season.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but Love seems determined to lead this team through it.

“We’re still a really good football team and I think some things are more self-inflicted – mistakes, penalties and turnovers,” he said. “Anything we can clean up.

“Like I said before, we didn’t play our best game. We’ve got a lot of football left when we come back from the bye week, so when we come back, hit the field running.

“There’s no doubt we’re going to get back to work, focus on these things and clean everything up. But it’s gotten to the point where when it’s Sunday and the lights are bright, we have to go out there and get called.” And don’t make these mistakes.”