Jordan Love — Week 8: 30 of 41, Three Touchdowns

Jordan Love had his best completion rate since Week 5 against the Panthers: 30 of 41 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, with no sacks, in a 27-19 win at home on Thursday night. The 30 completions and three touchdown passes were both his most in a game this season. Over 41 dropbacks he was worth +6.9 expected points added (EPA), what a play was worth given down, distance and field position, +0.17 per dropback.

The throw that defined his night came up 13-10 with 1:51 left in the half. Josh Jacobs had just lost 3 yards and a deep throw to Matthew Golden had fallen incomplete, leaving third and 13 at the Carolina 24. Love went deep left to Golden again and he caught it in the end zone: +4.5 EPA and 10.3 points of win probability, the estimate of each side's chance to win, for a 20-10 lead after the extra point. Down 10-6 earlier in the quarter, his 53-yarder to Christian Watson deep over the middle, 13.2 points of win probability, set up Jacobs's first touchdown. The first score was his too: third and 8 at the Carolina 12, short over the middle to Tucker Kraft.

It was a first-half night. His 24 dropbacks before the break were worth +8.8 EPA; the 17 after it came to -1.9. Up 27-13 on the first snap of the fourth quarter, third and 8 at the Carolina 27, he threw deep right for Golden and Zakee Wheatley intercepted at the 2, -3.5 EPA. Earlier, Watson's fumble after an 8-yard catch on third and 4 cost -3.5.

The rate beat his season. Through Week 7 he was at +0.12 per dropback, +33.8 EPA on 286 dropbacks. Completion percentage over expected (CPOE), how often he completed passes against what their difficulty predicted, was +11.7, against -3.0 through Week 7.

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_Data via nflverse._