Jordan Love grew up in Bakersfield, which is two hours north of Los Angeles. He left California for college in 2016, the same year the Rams returned to LA after being away for 21 years.
Love will have what feels like an NFL homecoming game on Sunday when his Green Bay Packers (2-2) play the Rams (1-3), whose struggling defense has allowed every opposing quarterback to feel comfortable this season.
“It’ll be fun,” Love said. “I’m excited about it. My first time playing at SoFi, so I’m excited to go back home, and (it’s) obviously the closest game to back home in Bakersfield, so … I have a lot of family that lives there, and I’m excited to play in front of them.”
Packers fans will finally fill the stands at Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s impressive stadium this weekend, marking the first visit by the Packers since SoFi opened. The last time the Packers played in Southern California was a year before the stadium’s opening.
On the field, the Packers aim to bounce back from last week’s loss to Minnesota, where they fell behind 28-0 before making a late rally that wasn’t enough. Love returned from a two-game absence due to a knee injury and threw for a career-high 389 yards and four touchdowns, though he also had three interceptions during the comeback attempt.
Love and the Packers’ third-ranked offense could be a challenge for the Rams, who have the NFL’s second-worst defense through four games, allowing 385.3 yards per game.
This drop in performance was expected with the retirement of Aaron Donald and the exit of coordinator Raheem Morris, but Los Angeles is struggling to compete while giving up 28.8 points per game, also the second-worst in the league.
“(Donald) is one of one,” said Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, who was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2017. “There’s not too many guys that can wreck a game like he can.
But I have been impressed by (the Rams’) group. They’re a lot younger up front. I think they do a really good job with a lot of their pick games. Obviously, the effort stands out across the board.”
