There might be something wrong with me if I’m giving viral TikTok songs more attention than what Jordan Love has done on the football field this season.
In my defense, Carolina MiC’s hit song is very catchy, but Love now has my full attention after his clutch Thanksgiving performance to sweep the season series from the Lions.
If Love continues building off his recent improvement, the Packers could find themselves in the Super Bowl in Santa Clara. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves because it’s anyone’s year to win it all after what transpired in NFL Week 13.
Carolina MiC’s Panthers beat the Rams and the surprising Bears are now in first place in the NFC. As for a different surprise for opposite reasons, the Vikings likely won’t be headed to the postseason. Maybe they can use $150,000 to make upgrades at quarterback next season. (Hopefully, you get the reference.)
All right, let’s get to this week’s fact or fiction.
Jordan Love will lead Packers to lengthy playoff run
I don’t want to come off like I’m the undersized security guard in front of the quarterback superstar club, but I had a hard time viewing Love in that class before his clutch Thanksgiving performance against the Lions.
In Week 1, Love benefited from a strong defense and rushing attack to get by Detroit the first time. And I’ll admit, I wasn’t willing to give Love much credit early in the season after going 0–6 against the Lions, Vikings and Eagles last year. I needed to see more quality wins from Green Bay’s talented signal-caller, especially after upset losses to the Panthers and Browns this season.
But in the second meeting in Detroit, Green Bay would not have won that game without Love’s heroics, including a clutch 16-yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks to convert on fourth-and-3 to ice the game. It’s time to let Love through the velvet ropes, not just for sweeping the season series from the NFC North bully, but also because of his many clutch moments all year.
In Conor Orr’s latest power rankings, he highlighted how Love leads in several clutch metrics, which might be eye-opening for those who have ignored his numbers due to his lack of signature wins. I’ve never really been one to dive deep into analytics, because football isn’t that complicated. It’s easy to tell who’s making a difference and who’s stepping up at the most critical moments. And to be frank, Love didn’t come through in back-to-back home losses to Carolina and Philadelphia when the panic alarms went off in Green Bay and coach Matt LaFleur had to answer questions about his job security.
Love has stepped up for his coaches and teammates, especially the defense that held down the fort while the offense attempted to get in sync amid a few costly injuries, such as the absences of wide receiver Jayden Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft.
Love has improved with the return of Christian Watson, who has given this team a vertical element. Love hasn’t been as reckless as he was with the ball in his first two seasons as the starter (only three interceptions this year), but he’s at his best when he’s pushing the ball down the field, and Watson has given him the confidence to take more not-so-risky decisions. He’s also connected with Romeo Doubs on several big-time plays, and now he’s getting contributions from Wicks, who had a rough 2025 before the breakthrough performance in Detroit.
It’s been a bumpy ride with high expectations after the trade for Micah Parsons, but these Packers (8–3–1) can go far because of their superstar quarterback. Let him in the club.
Manzano’s view: Fact
Daniel Jones’s injury is a bigger deal than the Colts made it seem
The Colts (8–4) are fading fast, losing three of their past four games to allow the Jaguars (8–4) to overtake them atop the AFC South standings.
They did, however, avoid a worst-case scenario when Sauce Gardner’s calf injury was considered week to week and not season-ending. But this team can’t afford to not have its star cornerback for a few games with so many critical upcoming matchups, including this week’s showdown in Jacksonville.
To make matters worse, Jones is playing with a fractured fibula, which somehow went under the radar for a quarterback who relies on his mobility to extend plays and escape the pocket. It’s bad enough that opposing defenses have figured out how to contain running back Jonathan Taylor in recent weeks. The MVP candidate has been held under 100 rushing yards in the team’s past three defeats.
Now, there’s not much wiggle room for coach Shane Steichen to counter how defenses are playing his offense because Jones isn’t at full strength. Mobility is needed from Jones to punish defenses for being too focused on Taylor's whereabouts. Maybe Jones can prioritize more short passes with tight end Tyler Warren and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., but that could remove Alec Pierce, the team’s vertical threat, from the flow of the offense.
Steichen needs to make adjustments quickly or this once-mighty offense could miss the postseason in a loaded AFC.
Manzano’s view: Fact
Kevin O’Connell deserves the bulk of the blame for QB failures
The Vikings’ coach is being criticized for his quarterbacks’ play, despite being dubbed the quarterback whisperer.
Minnesota (4–8) hasn’t gotten much from 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, and it got worse when veteran Carson Wentz started five games in place of the injured McCarthy earlier this season. But the Vikings hit rock bottom after throwing undrafted rookie Max Brosmer to the wolves in their ugly 26–0 loss to the Seahawks last week.
O’Connell didn’t ask for that moniker, but his front office might have put too much stock into the media-created reputation of the fourth-year coach, who had success with Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, and, very briefly, Joshua Dobbs in 2023.
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should shoulder more of the blame for not finding a way to retain Darnold or Jones in the offseason, knowing very well that star receiver Justin Jefferson and a stout defense didn’t have time to wait on a young quarterback to develop. According to draft experts, McCarthy had plenty of upside, but he was viewed as the most raw quarterback prospect from the 2024 class.
The Vikings should have gone with the more experienced Bo Nix, who went No. 12 to the Broncos, two spots after Minnesota took McCarthy. However, let’s not punish Minnesota for betting on McCarthy’s ceiling. Instead, they should be criticized for assuming they could get fast results from the Michigan product. The Vikings should have been patient and forced him to wait his turn, as the Packers did with Love. However, they decided to bet on their coach’s ability to quickly get McCarthy ready to lead a winning team.
Hindsight is 20/20, but every Minnesota decision-maker, not just O’Connell, should be kicking themselves for not creating better options at quarterback for a team coming off a 14-win season.
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Carolina MiC’s viral song is the perfect tune for pesky Panthers
Do yourself a favor and check out Brigid Kennedy’s profile piece on Carolina MiC, whose viral, “If I Had $150,000” song, has become the theme song for the Panthers’ extremely unpredictable 2025 season.
No, $150,000 is not enough to buy an NFL franchise, but it might be enough to get a tricked-out Porsche, which probably isn’t a wise investment depending on where you live.
I’ve been fascinated with Carolina MiC since his catchy song showed up on my TikTok feed a few weeks back. I think many of us would also have wild ideas for how to use that kind of money if $150,000 suddenly showed up in our bank account, only to realize later it’s not that easy to make such purchases.
Also, Carolina MiC (along with coach Dave Canales) is the reason why the Panthers (7–6) have beaten the Packers and Rams and are in the midst of their best season in years. Panthers owner David Tepper needs to find a role for Carolina MiC within the organization.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why the Packers Are Poised for a Super Bowl Run.
