Jordan Love says Packers' offense is feeling more comfortable

Jordan Love is 11 games into his first year as a starter for the Packers. And he picked up a signature win on Thanksgiving by beating the Lions in their rowdy den.

The Packers quarterback is using the c-word to describe it all. We’re not talking confidence. And in this case, comfortable is a very good thing. So is checkdown. Love might feel more comfortable heaving the ball for a gambling, long play, but he also now recognizes second and third reads.

“I feel like it’s just comfort, being comfortable in the pocket,” Love told reporters this week. “Obviously getting more reps, more reps, being comfortable with my reads. (And) understanding what the defense is doing, where I need to go with the ball and just growing and learning (from) every rep I get. And obviously learning from mistakes, learning from the good plays.”

It’s all why he’s thrown five touchdown passes with no interceptions in his last two games.

Next up for Packers — home game against mighty Chiefs

However, Love will need all his knowledge this Sunday when the Packers play host to the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions. He might feel the need to compete in a stat game with Patrick Mahomes. Or, he can lean on that comfort and stay within himself and the Packers game plan.

Mahomes, who will be playing for the first time in historic Lambeau Field, was complimentary of Love this week.

“Jordan has gotten better and better every single game,” Mahomes told reporters. “He’s always had the talent, but when you get more and more reps — I mean he didn’t play for three years basically — so he’s gotten more and more reps, you can see how much more comfortable he’s getting.

“They have playmakers everywhere, and their defense can play,” Mahomes said. “It will be a great challenge for us, and they’re a hot football team that just beat another great football team so they have confidence coming in. We’ve got to match that confidence and try to find a way to win a football game.”

Love still does love the long ball. He sports 19 completions of at least 30 yards. That tops the NFL. So something is working.

“It’s just … something that throughout each rep I’ve been able to learn from, grow as a player, understand where I need to go with the ball,” Love told reporters.

And maybe Love and the 5-6 Packers can keep winning. The playoffs, which seemed like a dream only a month ago, are much more of a possibility if Green Bay can stay hot. Their record currently is eighth best in the NFC, which means they’re one spot away from a potential berth. They also own the tiebreakers over the Rams and Saints, two other teams who are in the mix for the final wildcard berth.

So Love needs to stay comfortable as the football anxiety cranks up.