Around the NFC

Jordan Love time. This wasn’t the way Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love envisioned starting his first NFL game. Aaron Rodgers was benched after testing positive for COVID-19; because he wasn’t vaccinated, he must miss 10 days. Enter Love, the Packers’ first-round pick in 2020 that caused so much angst in Rodgers’ camp. Green Bay is 7-1 going to Kansas City. It is continually amazing how quarterbacks — the leaders of the locker room and an entire organization — aren’t getting vaccinated. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Indianapolis’ Carson Wentz have been adamant about not getting the shot. That’s not leadership.

Giants’ consistency. In the last five years, the Giants have posted eight-game records of 1-7, 1-7, 2-6, 1-7 and 2-6 and had point differentials of -78, -55, -60, -54 and -44. Now that is consistency. Three of Big Blue’s losses have been by a total of seven points. “As coaches, we have to put ourselves in the right call to be successful and then we have to execute on the field,” coach Joe Judge said. “It all ties together. There’s not some magic potion, there’s not some motivational speech. It’s about going out there and doing your job for 60 minutes to make sure you do it well.” The Giants host Las Vegas on Sunday.

Can’t cover Cooper. Rams receiver Cooper Kupp is the first player in the Super Bowl Era with at least 900 receiving yards (924) and 10 touchdown catches (10) in his team’s first eight games. He leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdown catches and is second in receptions (63). If he reaches 76 yards Sunday night against Tennessee, Kupp will be the fifth player with at least 1,000 yards and touchdowns in his team’s first nine games and the first since Jerry Rice in 1990 (1,006/11).