Refs under fire as NFL fans slam no-call on helmet hit to Jordan Love - "They love the Lions" 

Jordan Love wants to bring the NFC North title back to Wisconsin. His Green Bay Packers have lost thrice this season, and one of them has been to the dominant Detroit Lions. And already on Thursday, he might be in for another – with some outside "help".

During the first quarter, the quarterback was the recipient of this helmet hit from defensive end Za'Darius Smith that went unpunished:

There was much anger at the no-call from fans online:

Here are some more reactions from fans on X/Twitter:

"Why is officiating getting worse?" one fan asked.

"A** REFS," another fan raged.

"Chiefs of the NFC," one fan said.

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Jordan Love discusses pre-game preparations ahead of pivotal matchup vs. Lions

Speaking to ESPN's Rob Demovsky before Thursday's game, Jordan Love described his pre-game preparations as follows:

"I'm usually on my own while the coaches are game planning. I make a notes page of plays I see other teams running that look good."

After that step, he would send those plays to the coaching staff, When asked how many of them get approved, he said:

"Sometimes they make it. Sometimes they don't."

One example was a 25-yard pass to Christian Watson during the Week 11 win at the Chicago Bears. While that play originated from then-newly-hired consultant Robert Saleh, Love also has a hand in it, according to pass coordinator Jason Vrable:

"Jordan texted that play and said, 'I think Christian's matchup on a linebacker is going to be great, we've got to take advantage of this.'"

And since then, such synergy has been happening more often:

"Maybe Year 1, he's just trying to do his job. Year 2, right now, I think that communication, that growth when we're talking about third downs or what we like, Jordan's like, 'I like that, but I like that one more.'"

It is a leadership trait that one of Love's old mentors has been appreciating very greatly: Mike Sanford, his former coach at Utah State, said:

"My favorite trait in any leader, particularly at quarterback, is authenticity. Jordan is authentically a real dude... When there are things wrong, [fans] just want to see their quarterback go rip Romeo Doubs' a** for dropping a ball that led to a pick. That's not who Jordan is."

The Packers entered halftime at Ford Field down 17-7.