A sputtering first half of missed throws, turnovers and drops helped the Green Bay Packers fall into a 28-0 hole, but the passing game eventually calmed down and finally erupted with Jordan Love's return to the field Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Love's stat line illustrates the mix: 32 completions, but on 54 attempts – giving a final completion percentage of 59.2. Four touchdown passes, but three interceptions – including two that directly led to touchdowns for the Vikings.

The late performance wasn't enough for the Packers to overcome an early deficit in a 31-29 loss at Lambeau Field.

Love struggled with accuracy early on, but eventually settled down and made big plays in the second half. He admitted early on that he wasn't good enough.

“The ball placement was a little mixed up today,” Love said. “It got better later, but at the beginning I just missed a few shots and was a little off. I made it difficult for some receivers on some of those plays.”

Love and Dontayvion Wicks failed on several early attempts, including a third down in the red zone. Love's accuracy was a bit off and Wicks failed to make a few difficult catches.

However, Love ended up with 389 passing yards and hit five different pass catchers for receptions of 20 or more yards. He threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed, a 6-yard touchdown pass to Wicks, a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Wicks, as well as a two -Points conversion to strength.

Love said the Packers missed “a lot of plays” on the field, particularly in the first half.

It appears the Packers' passing game is just off the mark heading into 2024 and still has a chance to explode as Love settles down from the injury and pursues better execution moving forward. Ball placement and finishing catches only need to be slightly better.

“I definitely like where we are as a team,” Love said. “The playmakers we have and the team we have, I definitely like where we are.”

Love said his left knee “felt good” after Sunday's game despite suffering a painful blow to the knee early on. He also said he felt “good” moving around in the bag, although his mobility was limited when taking off and climbing.

As for practice participation, Love said it was limited at the beginning of the week but eventually began to take up more and more reps from the team. He wasn't sure if he would struggle with the knee injury all season and expressed hope that it would eventually heal.

Love and the Packers face the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.