Dan Campbell had a mysterious look, the perfect poker face to keep us guessing what he was going to do before the Detroit Lions’ game against the Green Bay Packers in a quarter-and-inch game.

Of course, the Lions coach decided to do that because that’s what he’s done since he arrived in Detroit in 2021. But there was a mystery because the Lions got burned early in the game after giving Jordan Love a short field to turn Thursday night’s NFC North showdown into a back-and-forth affair.

Love’s resume must have been running through Campbell’s mind as television cameras captured his intense, reddened face before the decisive fourth-round decision, less than a minute before the end of regulation time. Campbell wanted no part of Love because of what he did last season and in Thursday night’s spurts. But the fear of love worked to the Lions’ advantage in their 34-31 win over the Packers Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired.

The 2023 version of Love gave him a massive four-year, $220 million contract extension in the offseason and gave him a reputation as a quarterback you don’t want to hand the ball to on the final drive of a one-score game. But there hasn’t been much of last year’s Love this season, which might explain why the Packers (9-4) now have a chance to win the NFC North and are 0-4 overall against the Lions (12-1) and the Philadelphia Eagles are (10-2) and Minnesota Vikings are (10-2) this season.

The Packers can’t simply make teams fear Love’s rise in the second half starting in 2023. They need him to play like this to have a chance in the NFC postseason, because this year’s version of Love has the Packers a distant fourth when it comes to NFC power rankings.

The Packers had the right idea to make Love’s life easier in a number of ways. They spent money to sign red-blooded running back Josh Jacobs this offseason after years of using heavy draft picks on pass catchers. Even defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s unconventional attitude benefited Love in his second year as a starter.

Love’s job became so difficult that even his many mediocre performances that season were enough to make the Packers a very good team and virtually secure a postseason berth. But the Packers needed the 2023 version of Love in Thursday night’s showdown against the Lions. Green Bay fell behind 10-0 on a run-first offense, with Love going 3 of 7 for 31 yards in the first half. It’s enough to make Love’s job easier against lower-level contenders like the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.

The money-making Love, who earned his huge paycheck last year, showed in spurts in the second half against the Lions, but it was too late. There’s a lot to think about for Packers coach Matt LaFleur after Jared Goff made a game-winning drive to give the Lions a win and keep Love on the sideline.

It’s time for LaFleur to let his star quarterback earn his paycheck, because this conservative approach won’t get the Packers far in the playoffs. Maybe this is LaFleur’s way of getting Love to trust the plan and play more calmly and not just rely on his elite skills. But perhaps LaFleur needs to accept Love for who he is, because he’s at his best when driving the ball downfield with his many weapons. Love should prepare the ongoing game, not the other way around.

Additionally, this remodeling of the Packers’ offense in 2024 hasn’t reduced Love’s turnovers — he has 11 interceptions this season, but none on Thursday night, even as the offense picked up steam in the final two quarters. Love finished the game 12 of 20 for 206 yards and a touchdown. Just 20 attempts should be considered unacceptable for a quarterback as talented as Love. Goff completed 32 of 41 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Somehow the Lions have only allowed 13.8 points per game since Week 8, but they have had to be pushed with 13 defensemen currently on injured reserve. Finally, the Packers tested the Lions’ lack of depth when Love fired a shot offside on the second play of the second half – a 59-yard connection to Christian Watson, who recovered a costly fumble in the first quarter. From then on, the Packers scored two touchdowns in six plays and took a 21-17 lead. (Green Bay’s offense got help after Keisean Nixon shut down Goff.)

Love also had an impressive performance to help the Packers make it 31-31, throwing dimes for 20 yards to Watson and Dontayvion Wicks.

Where is the love that was red-hot in the 2023 postseason, dismantling the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round before ousting the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round? Maybe LaFleur didn’t like how 2023 ended with Love throwing an interception against the 49ers, leading to an offseason focused on defense and the running game.

But Campbell opted for it on fourth down Thursday night in part because he didn’t want to mess around and find out if the 2023 version of Love would show up in the final seconds of regulation. The Packers need to find ways to get this version of Love back or they may continue to get the same results against true contenders in the NFC.