GREEN BAY, Wis. – Somewhat lost in the shuffle of Christian Watson’s remarkable catch on the game-winning 60-yard completion in the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Bears was Jordan Love’s remarkable throw.

The protection lasted until the last moment, when Gervon Dexter got past the injured left hand of center Josh Myers. Just as Love threw the pass, he was beaten up from the 312-pound Dexter.

How did Love make that throw?

Not so much physically, but what did it cost mentally?

Every human being is equipped with a fight-or-flight instinct. It’s fair to say that 99.9 percent of the population would have chosen to flee.

Or duck.

Love chose to fight and the Packers won as a result.

“Obviously you don’t practice that in practice (because) you don’t get hit,” Love said Wednesday. “So, it’s one of those things when the game comes, you just have to stick with it. You know you’re going to take a hit.

“The O-line does a great job of trying to keep me clean and give me as much time as possible, but these guys are good on the D-line and sometimes you have to take a few hits. But you just have to focus on getting to the receiver and getting the ball where you want it to go. Because we always say, ‘You’re going to get hit anyway, so you might as well throw a good ball.'”

That sounds easy to say from the relaxed atmosphere of the media scrum on a Wednesday, but it’s much more difficult in the hustle and bustle of the final minutes of a rivalry game.

So how do you train a quarterback to make this throw?

“Well, you don’t take people who can’t do that. That’s how you train them,” LaFleur said Friday. “I don’t know. There’s no magic exercise or anything like that. It’s just that some people can do it and some people can’t.

“That’s one of the criteria when you go out in the draft. We call these “throws without flinching.” When you see a guy who “can’t bat an eye” and can stand in there and make those throws, that’s a requirement. If the guys duck, I don’t think you can play in this league. You don’t take people who do that.”

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich was also impressed.

“It was a great throw without batting an eyelid,” he said. “His face was punchy, he threw a dime and then a great play from Christian to make that play and then develop the instinct to get up and go. “I was hoping he would score right there, but yeah, That was an incredible throw.”

Teams train as much as possible, but there is no weekly period where Love has to complete a series of exercises while being smoked by Brenton Cox.

During individual drills, for example, a coach runs toward the quarterback as he begins his bootleg. During 11-on-11 periods, the pass rush is real, except that defenders can’t hit the quarterback, so there is at least a simulation of having to make a throw with pressure in the face.

But nothing could have prepared Love for being drilled by Dexter.

“You either have it or you don’t,” Stenavich said. “Some guys have the ability to stand in the pocket and make those plays, and I think that’s just a mindset really. And he definitely has.”

According to Pro Football Focus, 39 quarterbacks have thrown at least 40 passes under pressure this season. The Good: Love ranks second with 9.0 yards per attempt. The Bad: Only two quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions. The Mediocre: With a completion rate of 48.0 percent, Love ranks 22nd.

Love was absolutely sensational against the Bears. Perhaps because he’s healthy again, Love was an incredible 8 of 8 for 185 yards under pressure.

Love’s ability to create amid the chaos will be crucial as the Packers look to continue their run into the playoffs on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

“I think it’s kind of mental, but I think when you play football for years you get better at it,” Love said. “But like I said, it’s hard to train. In the offseason, it’s not like someone is running at you and hitting you when you’re throwing.

“So a little bit of it is just playing quarterback and knowing you’re going to take some hits. You have to be the guy who can sit in the pocket and pass the ball.”

Latest Green Bay Packers news

A tremendous final injury report | The latest on Brock Purdy | NFC North Power Rankings | Five keys to the game | Tucker Kraft hunts down mentor George Kittle | What’s wrong with Jaire Alexander? | Packers-49ers injury report from Thursday | The Packers have a huge advantage | Packers-49ers game preview | Packers need to focus on top playmakers | MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks | Jordan Love on the impact of the playoff loss to the 49ers | Added familiar face to training group | Current playoff probabilities | Signs of problems in defense | Packers-Niners: TV, trends, notes | Packers-49ers matchups