GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love’s ability to produce big plays while avoiding turnovers earned him a $220 million contract extension after leading the Green Bay Packers to a surprising playoff push in of his first season as a starter.

A year later, Love remains as explosive as ever, but he’s tied for the NFL lead in interceptions.

Green Bay will struggle to make a deeper playoff run this year unless Love stops throwing the ball to the other team.

“That’s definitely something I’m going to focus on a lot going forward, just finding ways to take better care of the ball,” Love said after throwing his second pick 6 of the season Sunday in a loss 24-14 against Detroit. Lions.

The Packers (6-3) are 1½ games behind Detroit (8-1) and a half-game behind Minnesota (6-2) in the NFC North standings as they go through their bye week. Love threw a total of four interceptions in home losses to the Lions and Vikings.

Love led Green Bay’s late-season charge last year by throwing 21 touchdown passes with just one interception during a nine-game stretch that included a 48-32 upset of Dallas. Love was picked off twice in the second half of a 24-21 playoff loss at San Francisco.

The Packers showed their confidence in Love by giving him a four-year contract extension this summer.

Love continues to produce big plays this year, but he displays more of a high-risk, high-reward approach.

He finishes the 2023 regular season with 32 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions on 579 passes. So far this year, he has 15 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in just 240 attempts.

“It’s just about staying true to my reads and when plays go off schedule, just that fine line of being smart with the ball and not putting it in danger and balancing trying to make a play rather than just throwing it away and living another day,” Love said. “I think it’s just about staying true to my reads, like I said, making good decisions. do a better job of being stingy with the ball.”

Love is tied with Seattle’s Geno Smith for the NFL lead in interceptions despite missing two full games with a knee injury and nearly half of a third game with a strain in the groin.

He threw all of those interceptions while being sacked just seven times, so lack of protection doesn’t seem to be the issue. For comparison, Smith has been sacked 28 times.

The Packers still believe in love. He showed his ability to play big by averaging 12.4 yards per pass to rank fourth in the league. He throws for 260 yards per game to rank fifth.

“He’s really unflappable,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “He’s kind of the same guy every day. His concentration is really good. Our offense was sometimes very, very explosive because of him – and others too, but a lot because of him. I think as a football team we work hard to be a complete team and a team that can win situational football, and we’re not there yet. But I think he played very well.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur appreciates Love’s aggressiveness, but acknowledges that the 26-year-old must take the game situation into account to know when to push the limits and when to stay cautious.

LaFleur cited pick 6 in the Lions game as an example.

The Packers were down 10-3 and had second-and-2 at their own 38-yard line when Love lined up in a shotgun formation, encountered pressure and attempted to throw a short pass to running back Josh Jacobs. Kerby Joseph scooped it up and returned it 27 yards with 32 seconds left in the half.

“I think he would agree with you that in this situation he just has to throw the ball and live to play the next down,” LaFleur said. “I think one of his strengths is his ability to play off schedule and not want to give up a game, and I admire that. But I think it’s just that we have to take situations into account.

Love showed he can improve over the course of a season.

Last year, he threw seven interceptions and just four touchdown passes during a four-game losing streak that dropped their record to 2-5. Then he played as well as any quarterback in the league down the stretch.

Love will try to make a new late start by remembering its principles.

“Obviously the big plays will happen if I don’t force things,” Love said, “but I just come back to staying true to my reads and really being disciplined and making good decisions with the ball.”