JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love wants to play “clean with the ball.” If he does, the Packers surely would be even more difficult to beat.
Love is tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions, and that’s despite missing two games with a knee injury. He’s also second with 15 touchdown passes, making the Packers one of the most potent passing offenses in the league.
But those turnovers are troubling as Green Bay (5-2) tries to extend its winning streak to four at Jacksonville (2-5) on Sunday.
“I think obviously the interceptions are something I want to clean up and definitely improve on, being able to be clean with the ball,” Love said. “I think the big focus for us is to go a game on offense and have 100% ball security.”
Facing the Jaguars might help. Coach Doug Pederson’s squad is tied for 29th in the league with just three takeaways, including two by the defense.
Nonetheless, Jacksonville is feeling better about itself following a 32-16 victory over New England in London. The Jaguars played their best game of the season and hope to have come carryover back across the pond.
“I definitely feel like we have some momentum, especially compared to where we were the first month of the season,” quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “Obviously, it hasn’t always been perfect, but I really do feel like we’ve trusted our process. We’ve trusted the coaches, the players, our teammates around us, and we have found some success here lately. We just have to do it again.”
But now comes a daunting stretch against NFC opponents with a combined 19-6 record, and it starts against the Packers. Green Bay is averaging 26.6 points a game despite Love’s interceptions and his two-game absence.
“I think we’re in a good place,” Love said. “The biggest thing we’ve got to clean up as a whole is just consistency. When we get more consistent in hitting on every play we have an opportunity to, good things will happen.”
Familiar foes
Brandon McManus follows up his triumphant debut performance with the Packers by returning to the place where he played last season.
McManus was with the Jaguars a year ago and signed with the Washington Commanders in the offseason. The Commanders cut the veteran kicker last summer after two women sued him and the Jaguars in civil court alleging he sexually assaulted them when they were working as flight attendants on the Jaguars’ trip to London.
The NFL later said it didn’t find sufficient evidence that McManus violated the personal conduct policy, and the lawsuit was resolved. McManus signed with Green Bay last week and kicked a 45-yard field goal in the final play of the Packers’ 24-22 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
McManus isn’t the only player who will be facing former teammates on Sunday. Jacksonville safety Darnell Savage is in his first year with the Jaguars after spending five seasons with the Packers, who selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Jaguars shaking up LB rotation
With linebacker Foye Oluokun (foot) returning from a four-week stint on injured reserve, the Jaguars are getting one of the NFL’s top tacklers back. It could pay immediate dividends and create a defensive shuffle.
Since second-year pro Ventrell Miller has played well in Oluokun’s place, the Jaguars appear ready to go with Miller and Oluokun moving forward. That means less work for former first-round pick Devin Lloyd, who has struggled in pass coverage.
“You want your best 11 on the field, whatever that looks like,” Pederson said. “Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily have to be the best football player, but the one that does things right the most.”
Take it away
The Packers committed three turnovers without forcing any against Houston last weekend, but they still have an NFL-leading 17 takeaways.
Packers safety Xavier McKinney intercepted a pass in each of Green Bay’s first five games. He has an NFL-high six takeaways, including five interceptions and one fumble recovery.