Locals in the NFL: Jordan Love leads Packers’ comeback, tops Jets 20-17 in overtime
Sep 20, 2026, 3:04 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 20: Jordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers passes the ball during the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on September 20, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes and rookie kicker Trey Smack drilled a 26-yard field goal in overtime as the Green Bay Packers rallied from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the New York Jets 20-17 in the rain Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Love finished 19 of 29 passing for 145 yards as Green Bay (1-1) earned its first win of the season after a 39-22 loss at Minnesota in Week 1. New York fell to 1-1.
The comeback showed the resilience of a Packers team that collapsed in the fourth quarter of its season opener. Trailing by 10 in the final period, Green Bay scored on consecutive possessions — aided by a 63-yard punt return from Skyy Moore — and then won it on the opening drive of overtime.
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The Packers’ offense sputtered for most of the first half on a rain-soaked afternoon.
Four of Green Bay’s first five drives ended in punts against a physical Jets front. The lone exception was a nine-play, 64-yard march in the second quarter that Love capped with a 6-yard scoring pass to MarShawn Lloyd for a 7-0 lead. Christian Watson keyed the drive with receptions of 20 and 13 yards.
New York answered quickly. Braelon Allen punched in a 5-yard rushing touchdown to tie it at 7 before halftime, and the Jets seized control in the second half. Geno Smith hit Garrett Wilson with a 5-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and Jason Sanders added a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it 17-7.
The Packers’ offense came alive from there. Love guided a seven-play, 73-yard drive that ended with his 3-yard touchdown pass to Watson, cutting the deficit to 17-14 with 7:58 remaining.
Green Bay’s defense forced a punt on the ensuing possession, and Moore returned it 63 yards to the Jets’ 19-yard line. The Packers stalled inside the red zone, but Smack connected on a 34-yard field goal with 2:59 left to tie it at 17.
The Jets had a chance to win in regulation but stalled near midfield after head coach Aaron Glenn elected to go for it on fourth down rather than attempt a long field goal. Love was sacked on a last-second Hail Mary attempt, sending the game to overtime.
After forcing a Jets punt in the extra period, Love orchestrated a 58-yard drive. A 15-yard completion to Chris Brooks and a personal-foul penalty on the Jets moved Green Bay into field goal range, and Smack finished it with a 26-yard kick.
The Packers won’t have long to savor the comeback. Green Bay travels to Atlanta for a Thursday night matchup against the Falcons, who could have quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back from a knee injury.
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Other locals
Packers (1-1)
- Jordan Love, QB, Utah State: Starting quarterback completed 16-of-29 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns, with three sacks taken
- Chris Brooks, RB, BYU: Running back ran for 11 yards on four carries. He was targeted with one pass.
Jets (1-1)
- Tim Patrick, WR, Utah: Placed on injured reserve
About Jordan Love
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love entered the 2026 NFL season with 11,535 career passing yards and 83 touchdowns across three seasons as a starter — and a trajectory that has made him one of the league’s most efficient passers.
A Bakersfield, California, native, Love played at Utah State from 2017 to 2019 after redshirting in 2016. In three seasons with the Aggies, he threw for 8,600 yards, 60 touchdowns and 29 interceptions with a 61 percent completion rate.
The Packers traded up to select Love with the No. 26 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He was inactive for every Green Bay game as a rookie.
Love saw limited action in his second and third seasons, serving as the backup to four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Over those two years, he threw for 606 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions with a 60.2 percent completion rate in 10 games.
In 2023, Green Bay paved the way for Love to take over as the starter by trading Rodgers to the New York Jets. Love responded with a career-high 4,159 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his first season as the full-time starter. He added 247 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground as the Packers finished 9-8 in the regular season.
Love carried that momentum into the postseason, throwing for 466 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions in two playoff games before Green Bay was eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round.
An early-season knee injury slowed Love in 2024, but he returned to lead the Packers to another wild-card berth, finishing with 3,389 yards, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 starts. Green Bay was eliminated in the first round by the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Love started 15 games for the second consecutive year in 2025, posting nearly identical numbers: 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns while cutting his interceptions nearly in half to six — good for a career-best 101.2 passer rating.
About Locals in the NFL
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
Parts of this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team.
