(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 16: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers throws a pass during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on November 16, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The final numbers from Packers quarterback Jordan Love on Sunday’s Week 11 game in New York, which ended in a taut 27-20 win for Green Bay, were nothing special. Love completed just 13 passes on 24 attempts, for 174 yards. He threw two touchdowns and was sacked twice for a total loss of 12 yards.
Ah, but on a windy day at the Meadowlands, Love’s numbers were deceiving. That’s because there were a handful of dropped passes even by some of Love’s normally sure-handed targets, most notably Romeo Doubs. Coming into Week 11, Doubs had been targets 56 times by Love, and had dropped only one pass all season.
On Sunday, he was credited with two drops on eight targets, according to Pro Football Focus, part of a rough outing for much of the team’s receiver corps.
Love, to his credit, was not pointing fingers in the wake of the Packers win. He said his approach with receivers after drops is to chuck the play and move right on to the next one. And the fact that he threw passes to Doubs eight times despite the miscues shows he follows his own advice.
“I tell guys all the time, next play. Obviously, it’s unfortunate. Obviously, he’s trying to go out there and make the catch,” Love said of Doubs.
“Sometimes, it’s not going to be perfect. It’s just that mindset of the next play. Stay confident. The ball’s going to keep coming your way. If you move on and go make that next play, it will be easy to forget about it.”
Love also noted that it is not as though he is perfect under center, either. The Packers do not pull him every time he throws an interception or an errant pass, and thus he should hot shun a receiver who makes a mistake.
“It’s obviously frustrating, but it’s a team sport, man,” Love said. “It takes everybody out there making plays. You just gotta stay confident in these guys. I always stay confident in my guys that we’ll find ways to make the next play.
“Sometimes it doesn’t go right, sometimes I will have an interception, a turnover, and I gotta have that same mindset—flush it, move on and the opportunity is going to keep coming.”
Other than Doubs, Donatayvion Wicks was the other Packers receiver credited with a drop during the game, though there were certainly other candidates. And not just on offense. At several critical points, Packers defensive backs were well-positioned to make interceptions of Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, but dropped the opportunities.
Evan Williams‘ game-sealing interception with 44 seconds left to play was the only pick the Packers managed on the afternoon.
Said coach Matt LaFleur: “I thought there was plenty of opportunities in the game to kind of build a little bit of a lead and we just didn’t make plays. We didn’t make plays, we didn’t make those plays.”
Sunday marked Brock Purdy’s first game back for the San Francisco 49ers since aggravating his turf toe injury in Week 4. The quarterback looked like his usual self, leading the team to a decisive 41-22 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns, earning a 133.5 passer rating. More importantly, he appeared to escape his first action since September without further injury.
Speaking to reporters during a Monday conference call, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he hadn’t had a chance to talk to Purdy since after the game, as players were off. The 49ers have an extra day this week ahead of their Monday night matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
“Just talking to him last night, I know he felt pretty good and seemed like he checked out alright,” Shanahan said.
Purdy admitted after the game that he wasn’t focused on the injury while on the field, which helped him to play at a high level.
“I was pretty good going into the game,” Purdy said. “I mean, this is the reason why I told Kyle, ‘It’s time. It’s ready, because I feel great.’ You know, at practice, running around, all the things. So, coming into it, I didn’t want to think about it at all, and I didn’t. I just went out and played quarterback how I’ve always played. That’s how I went about it. It feels great now and onto the next one.”
Purdy initially injured his toe in the season opener and returned in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a comeback that Shanahan previously admitted may have been too soon. After a setback in that game, the 49ers were cautious with their franchise quarterback.
Backup Mac Jones performed well, keeping the team in playoff contention, but a strong week of practice finally convinced Purdy and the team that he was ready to return.
“It’s always a challenge when you haven’t played,” Shanahan said. “I know he got to play versus Jacksonville, but that game, he totally wasn’t himself because of the injury. So, he really, truly hasn’t been able to play like himself since Week 1. Then so much goes on in between.”
For some players, there is a mental hurdle to returning after a lengthy time on the sidelines. However, that wasn’t an issue for Purdy.
“You always want to get to the game,” Shanahan continued. “But how cool he was throughout the week, I think he made it very comfortable for all the guys, and pretty easy on us with what to expect.
“Then he was the exact same way in the game as he was all week. So, I think that speaks a lot about him and kind of how even keel he is.”