Jordan Love Injured as Packers Lose to Eagles in Brazil

The Green Bay Packers lost 34-29 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday night. The Packers’ inconsistent and mistake-filled performance took a back seat to the status of Jordan Love.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs against Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) on Friday. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jordan Love was injured in the final moments and the Green Bay Packers died from a million self-inflicted wounds in a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the season-opening game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday night.

The Packers had a last-gasp chance to steal a victory. Starting at their 16 with 22 seconds remaining, Love booted to his left and hit Jayden Reed for 33 yards to the 49. On the next play, the pocket collapsed on Love. As he lateraled the ball to Josh Jacobs to save the game for one more play, Love was twisted as he was taken to the turf by Eagles defenders.

Here’s a replay of the play on which Packers QB Jordan Love was injured: pic.twitter.com/vfDHJNaPF5

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2024

He writhed in pain for a few moments before he was helped off the field. Backup quarterback Malik Willis was sacked on the last-play Hail Mary.

With the game over, Love walked off the field with a trainer and Jacobs.

“I don’t know,” coach Matt LaFleur said twice when asked about Love’s status.

Dr. David Chao, a former team physician for the Chargers and the man behind Sports Injury Central, diagnosed a “possible mild left high ankle sprain.” The ankle injury is the “bigger deal” than a potential knee injury.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made every big play down the stretch and Saquon Barkley rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Love was just 17-of-34 passing for 260 yards for the Packers, who were doomed by two wasted takeaways, a missed field goal and 11 penalties. Like so many times under former defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the Packers under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley couldn’t get off the field as the Eagles drained most of the final 7:52.

“We’ve all got to look (at) ourselves hard in the mirror and find ways to get better because tonight, obviously, wasn’t good enough,” LaFleur said.

The Eagles led 31-26 and were on the way for more when Barkley burst into the open field for a gain of 33 on the final play of the third quarter.

However, Jaire Alexander saved the day by intercepting Hurts in the end zone. Rather than the Eagles at least kicking a field goal to make it an eight-point game, the Packers drove to Brayden Narveson’s third chip-shot field goal of the night to make it 31-29 with 7:52 remaining.

“The red area was a huge problem tonight,” LaFleur said. “I would say a year ago we were pretty damned good in that area and we got destroyed in that area tonight.”

With three red-zone failures, a missed field goal and LaFleur’s first-half decision to scrap a successful extra point in exchange for a failed two-point run, the Packers badly needed a stop.

On second-and-long, Alexander was flagged for defensive holding – a weak call – to give the Eagles one first down. On third-and-7, Kenny Clark was flagged for defensive holding toward the end of a failed scramble by Hurts. The 11th penalty on the night by the Packers gave the Eagles another first down with 4:32 to play.

On second-and-13, Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith, who broke tackles by Javvon Bullard and Jaire Alexander for a gain of 16. Next, on second-and-8 just before 2-minute warning, Hurts and Smith connected for 11 more and a first down to the 6.

Only a fumbled snap by Hurts on third-and-goal at the 1 gave the Packers a pulse, with Jake Elliott booting a 21-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining.

Keisean Nixon, the two-time All-Pro kick returner, was tackled at the 16 on the return, a decision that cost the Packers 14 yards and 5 seconds.

The Packers led 19-17 at halftime. It was great to be leading but also disappointing because they wasted Xavier McKinney’s interception and Devonte Wyatt’s fumble recovery on a botched shotgun snap.

Those back-to-back turnovers to start the game set up the Packers in the Eagles’ red zone, but they had to settle for chip-shot field goals of 31 and 23 yards by Narveson. On the second of those field goals, the Packers failed to punch it into the end zone on first-and-goal from the 5. The Packers had the No. 1-ranked goal-to-go offense in the league last year.

Really, all the Packers had going on offense was Reed. After the Eagles took a 7-6 lead, Reed took a jet-sweep run and sprinted 33 yards for a touchdown. Running back Emanuel Wilson, who provided a spark on the drive, and center Josh Myers had big blocks, and Reed broke a tackle at the 23. The extra point made it 13-7 but the Eagles were offside on the kick. So, LaFleur went for two and Jacobs was stuffed.

After the Eagles recaptured the lead, 14-12 on Barkley’s 11-yard touchdown run, Reed struck again. On third-and-10 and two plays after Love almost threw a pick-six, Love stepped up in the pocket and ripped a pass to Reed about 30 yards downfield. Reed made the catch, side-stepped a tackle attempt by C.J. Gardner-Johnson and strolled the final 30 yards for a 70-yard touchdown that put the Packers back on top 19-14.

Philadelphia kicked a field goal to end the first half and scored a touchdown to start the second half as A.J. Brown beat Alexander for a 67-yard touchdown. After back-to-back turnovers to start the game, it was the Eagles’ fourth consecutive scoring drive against Hafley’s defense.

The Packers answered, though. A pair of defensive penalties on third down gave the Packers first downs. The second of those, pass interference on Avonte Maddox, set up Love’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson that gave the Packers a 26-24 lead with 11:55 to play in the third quarter.

Finally, the teams’ new defensive coordinators, Green Bay’s Hafley and Philadelphia’s Vic Fangio, earned their paychecks. Hafley’s unit had back-to-back three-and-outs. Fangio got back-to-back stops, too, highlighted by Zack Baun’s coverage disguise and Reed Blankenship’s interception, which set up the Eagles at Green Bay’s 24.

Three consecutive powerhouse runs by Barkley put the Eagles on top 31-26 with 4:26 left in the third.

Josh Jacobs, who had been stopped in his tracks for most of the first three quarters, finally got rolling on the ensuing drive. However, the drive stalled and Brayden Narveson’s 43-yard field goal drifted right and hit the upright.

On the final play of the third quarter, Barkley squirted through a hole to the left and zoomed into the open field for a gain of 33 on what seemed like the beginning of the end for Green Bay.

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Jordan Love has a couple extra days to try to get ready for next week against the Colts. ⬇️https://t.co/PhIK5cWGp1

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 7, 2024

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