As the 49ers prepare to take on the Green Bay Packers in the divisional playoff round on Saturday, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan and linebacker Fred Warner had plenty of praise for opposing quarterback Jordan Love.
Before practice Tuesday, Shanahan offered up plenty of compliments for Love and his development over the course of the season.
“He’s come a long way.” Shanahan told reporters. “He’s playing at such a high level, to get thrown in there early this year and have to go through some ups and downs -- which he did some good things earlier this year too, but -- to not win all those games when you’re with a tough record in your first year, the pressure that comes with that and just to watch him each game, he’s been consistent. For him to take care of the ball the way he’s done has been unbelievable: The 21 touchdowns and one pick over the last 10 games is unbelievable.”
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“He’s extremely consistent in what they’re asking him to do. [Packers coach] Matt [LaFleur] is very good at coaching the quarterback, and you can see that their quarterback is buying in and plays very well in their system, and makes a lot of plays and has a big arm and is a big dude, too.”
In his first season as Green Bay’s starting QB, Love has been a revelation on offense, leading the Packers to a 9-8 regular-season record and a dominating upset of the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round, something that has not gone unnoticed by the 49ers.
Warner also was very complimentary of the young Packers QB, as he made it clear to reporters that the 49ers' defense has been paying attention to Love’s development this season and how challenging it will be to face off against him in a win-or-go-home game.
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“I’ll just speak to Jordan Love, and the way that he’s playing right now is really great," Warner told reporters.
"The things that you see showing up, obviously learned under Aaron [Rodgers], some of the mannerisms and the way that he’s operating under center and in the gun, he’s doing a great job. He’s making the throws, making smart decisions, which is what you want the most from that position from a young player and so obviously it’s going to be a huge challenge for us.”
There were plenty of questions about Love’s ability to replace Rodgers at the start of the season, and while there were some growing pains for the young QB, the Packers hit their stride just at the right time to land in the NFL playoffs with one of the youngest rosters in the league.
During the 2023 regular season, Love had the second-most touchdown passes of any QB with 32, just one ahead of 49ers QB Brock Purdy.
This upcoming matchup between the 49ers and the Packers is sizing up to be another legendary chapter between the two storied franchises, with this game being an NFL-record 10th time San Francisco and Green Bay have faced each other in the NFC playoffs.
The 49ers have won the last four playoff meetings between the two teams, with the last victory coming during an epic 13-10 win at Lambeau Field during the 2022 NFC divisional playoff round.
The 49ers will square off against the Packers at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 1:30 p.m.