MINNEAPOLIS — Jordan Love’s development as a Green Bay Packers quarterback has involved more than improving his accuracy or deep-ball touch. One of his biggest steps has come before the snap, where he now identifies defensive looks, changes protection calls and quickly adjusts when a play is not working as designed. Packers coach Matt LaFleur recently called Love unusually advanced at the line of scrimmage, saying he was among the best quarterbacks LaFleur had worked with in handling protections and adjustments. The comparison drew a playful response from Aaron Rodgers, Love’s predecessor in Green Bay and now the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback. Rodgers questioned whether anyone could surpass a player who won consecutive NFL Most Valuable Player awards, joking that LaFleur may simply have been defending his current quarterback. The exchange underscored the high standard Love is being measured against after spending three seasons behind Rodgers. Love’s responsibilities at the line of scrimmage were not part of his college routine at Utah State. He said the Aggies generally used a fast, no-huddle approach and did not ask him to make extensive protection changes. If a defense sent pressure, his instruction was typically to find the hot receiver rather than redesign the blocking scheme. His first NFL season in 2020 offered little opportunity to close that gap. The COVID-19 pandemic eliminated the offseason program and shortened training camp, and Love remained inactive as Green Bay’s third quarterback throughout the season. Over the next two years, he worked with LaFleur, quarterbacks coaches Luke Getsy and Tom Clements, and offensive coordinators Nathaniel Hackett and Adam Stenavich. The most valuable lessons came from watching Rodgers. Love studied the veteran’s pre-snap decisions and discussed afterward why Rodgers had changed a protection or adjusted a play. When Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets before the 2023 season, Love was ready to take over with a much stronger command of those responsibilities. That progress will be especially important against Minnesota. The Packers’ regular-season opener is scheduled for Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium, where crowd noise will complicate communication and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is known for presenting quarterbacks with shifting pre-snap looks. Love described Minnesota’s defense as unusually difficult to read, with defenders crowding the line before the snap, showing blitz and then dropping into coverage. He said the Vikings’ pressure packages and coverage disguises create a demanding assignment for any quarterback. Flores said Love’s command of Green Bay’s offense has continued to grow, citing his use of cadence, no-huddle operation and on-the-ball adjustments. Flores also pointed to Love’s natural throwing ability and his rapport with the Packers’ receivers. For Love, the goal is not to settle the debate over whether he is better at pre-snap adjustments than Rodgers. It is to make the correct decision quickly enough to protect himself and give Green Bay’s offense a chance to produce. “You have to make some really quick decisions,” Love said, describing the pressure of working against the clock. The quarterback said protection work is the area in which he has improved most since arriving in Green Bay. The reward, he added, comes when a difficult defensive look is handled cleanly and the offense turns the correct call into a big play.