It has been a tough season for Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Not only has he struggled with injuries, but he's also been plagued by an interception streak. He is tied for the league lead in picks despite having played in two fewer games than the other two quarterbacks on top of that list (Patrick Mahomes and Geno Smith).

These struggles are uncharacteristic of Love if you're going off the stretch of games last season that saw him throw 18 touchdowns compared to one interception. It is less surprising if you use his performance against the San Francisco 49ers in last season's NFC Divisional round playoff game as a barometer, though. He threw two picks in that game, including one that ultimately cost the Packers a shot at getting the win.

Love recently admitted that he's been stewing on that game all offseason, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. His tremendous performance against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2023 playoffs — he threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns with a 157.2 passer rating in that 48-32 win — was all but erased because of his two massive mistakes against the 49ers.

“I think just ending the season, getting into the playoffs and being knocked out by the 49ers — whoever it would have been — that game is definitely going to sit with you. That's what you've got to kind of just sit with all offseason, is going back, watching that game, trying to see what you could have done better, could have done differently in that game,” Love explained. “It definitely sits with you through the offseason, and then you obviously move on. Just knowing that that's the team that knocked us out, we're definitely hungry for this game.”

Love says the Packers are hungry, and you know he wants to get revenge on the 49ers. Here are three reasons why he will.

Jordan Love has an emphasis on making better decisions

Green Packers Jordan Love gestures as he walks off the field after the win against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
David Banks-Imagn Images

Love has thrown 11 interceptions this season in just eight games. He's thrown a pick in every game he's played in 2024, and that includes Green Bay's Week 11 win over the Chicago Bears. In that one, he wildly overthrew Tucker Kraft in the deep flat, which led to a diving interception from Chicago corner Terrell Smith on the long ball.

The thing is, though, Love absolutely made the right read on that play. Kraft was the player who needed to get the ball and he was wide open. He made the right play, but he just didn't execute it. That can't be said for most of his interceptions this season — including his two pick-sixes — so even in that interception there was a sign of improvement and focus on making the correct decision within the offense.

Love absolutely needs to cut out the interceptions, but the first step in that is taking the passes he's given within the offensive scheme. That means not chucking it up into double coverage or simply eating the ball on a sack instead of trying to widely flick it up downfield. Love even threw the ball away a few times against Chicago, which means he's starting to make better decisions.

Love has tremendous run support in the Packers' offense

One of the best ways to protect the football is to control the clock and control the pace of the game. That's what makes a strong running game so important, and Love has that and more thanks to Josh Jacobs.

Jacobs has rushed 176 times for 838 yards and four touchdowns this season, and he's getting better and better with every snap he takes. Three of his touchdowns have come since October 27, so he's certainly finding his nose for the end zone as the season gets deeper.

Jacobs can absolutely wear down a defense. The 49ers allow 105 yards on the ground per game, but they did just let both Kenneth Walker II and Geno Smith find the end zone as rushers in their 20-17 Week 11 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers can also turn to Emanuel Wilson to give Jacobs a breather. Wilson isn't a star, but he has averaged a solid 4.8 yards per carry this season and he got his first rushing touchdown of the season in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions.

Jacobs and Wilson can one-two-punch the 49ers, which will make the game much easier for Love.

Christian Watson seems primed to break out 

Third-year wide receiver Christian Watson is a streaky player. The Packers took him 34th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft because he can run a 4.36 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4, 208 pounds. You can't teach that kind of speed, athleticism and size and when he's healthy, Watson is able to show it off. He did just that in Week 11 against the Bears when he caught 4-of-4 targets for 150 yards, averaging 37.5 yards per catch.

That's the type of production Watson is capable of, but he doesn't do it consistently. The thing is, though, when he gets hot, he gets really hot. He had a stretch as a rookie that saw him catch seven touchdown passes in four games.

He was targeted just twice against the 49ers in last season' playoffs and he caught just one pass for 11 yards. Expect head coach Matt LaFleur to make him a big part of the offense in Week 12, though, especially knowing that now is the opportunity to try to capitalize on his streakiness.

Here's a prediction. Love will throw three touchdown passes against the 49ers and two of them will go to Watson.