Packer Central

Packers-Lions Injury Updates: Jordan Love Does Not Practice

With a game against the Detroit Lions looming on Sunday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a groin injury during the opening drive of last week’s victory over the Jaguars.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered an injured groin during this first-quarter play at the Jaguars.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered an injured groin during this first-quarter play at the Jaguars. / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – With a huge showdown against the Detroit Lions looming, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love did not go out for the start of practice on Wednesday.

Love was in a large group of starters who worked out on exercise equipment while the rest of the team went through warmups inside the Don Hutson Center. When the players headed out for practice, Love and the injured starters stayed inside to work with a trainer.

Malik Willis and Sean Clifford threw passes during individual drills while reporters were present.

Love missed most of the second half of Sunday’s win at Jacksonville due to a groin injury sustained during the opening series.

Given the magnitude of the game – a chance to move into first place in the NFC North – there’s little doubt the Love and the Packers (6-2) are hoping he can play vs. the first-place Lions (6-1). On the other hand, with next week’s bye, there’s an opportunity for Love to be at full strength – or closer to full strength – for the stretch run, which begins on Nov. 17 at the rival Chicago Bears.

“Yeah, if he can go, he’ll go,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “We’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week. But if we feel like he can’t protect himself, then we certainly wouldn’t put him in that position.”

Love isn’t the only injured player to watch this week. Linebacker Quay Walker (concussion) did not play against Jacksonville, safety Evan Williams (hamstring) missed most of the game and cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) was injured on the final defensive snap.

Walker practiced, but Alexander and Williams were among a contingent of starters who did not.

After a short completion on the third play of the third quarter at Jacksonville, Love collided with Travon Walker. It didn’t seem like much contact, but Love was shaken up and tried to hobble to the sideline.

At that point, it was clear Love no longer could protect himself.

“I just thought it was a pretty gutty performance,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “He was definitely hurting, his ability to move, to really drive the football. I just thought it was a tough, gritty performance.”

The Packers won with Malik Willis. Willis wasn’t asked to do much but he delivered when needed. He was 3-of-4 passing for 5 yards before his huge 51-yard strike to Jayden Reed set up the winning score. He also had a 20-yard scramble to precede Josh Jacobs’ 38-yard touchdown run.

After winning starts against the Colts and Titans and then winning in relief against the Jaguars, the Packers have confidence in Willis should he be pressed into duty.

“The moment’s not too big for him,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think that’s the case for everybody. It seems like his heartbeat, it just stays pretty consistent. There were some big-time plays he made in that game, obviously, and I also think the belief that the team has in him and his ability to lead us, I think it’s pretty evident when you watch us play.”

Playing without their indomitable defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson, who is out with a broken leg, the Lions had only one sack last week in a 52-14 rout of the Titans. Hutchinson has missed the last two games but still ranks third in the NFL in sacks and first in quarterback hits. Nobody else has more than 2.5 sacks.

The lack of pressure by the Lions could give the Packers confidence they can protect Love.

“There’s other ways of creating pressure and would you like a little more? Yeah, we’d like a little bit more,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. “I wouldn’t say we’re in panic mode.”

“Doesn’t matter what your record is,” he added. “It’s about, how do you cover up some of your deficiencies? That’s the name of the game. We talk about Hutch, we’re not going to be able to replace Hutch, but there’s other things that we can do. You put a bigger burden on your backend, is what you’ve got to do, and we’ve done that, and they’ve risen to the challenge. Has it been perfect? No, but we are getting takeaways, which is huge.”

The Lions and Packers are tied for second in the NFL with 10 interceptions and Detroit trails only Green Bay with 15 giveaways.

Against the Jaguars, Love threw his league-worst ninth interception and had his streak of games with two-plus touchdown passes snapped at nine.

LaFleur said the injury was not the issue on the interception.

“I think the guy made a really good play on the ball,” LaFleur said of rookie cornerback Jarrian James. “There’s certainly some things we could’ve done a little bit better. Especially when people squat on routes, a lot of times I always put that on us as coaches, too, in terms of can we give them a better play so that people won’t do that.

“I thought Jones did a nice job sitting outside leverage and just driving the out cut. That’s a play we’ve ran quite a bit, so I’m sure he was able to anticipate it, and that’s how you make plays. So, credit to him, he made a good play. I just told Jordan, if you feel somebody driving it, make sure you put that ball where only our guy can catch it. But he did do a good job of undercutting that route.”

More Green Bay Packers News 

Packers-Lions matchups | Packers sign former first-round pick | Our Consensus NFL Power Rankings | You play to win the game | Defense must rebound vs. prolific Lions | Five Packers Overreactions | Latest Packers injury updates | Josh Jacobs took charge vs. Jaguars | Packers-Jaguars report card | Inside the game-winning completion | Brian Gutekunst’s latest moves win the game

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.