Packer Central

Will Jordan Love Play Against Lions? ‘It’s Realistic’

After not practicing on Wednesday, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love discussed his potential availability for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Bill Huber

Will Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love be ready to play the Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field?
Will Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love be ready to play the Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field? / Melina Myers-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love did not practice on Wednesday due to a groin injury that knocked him out of last week’s victory over the Jaguars, but he said “it’s realistic” that he’ll play in Sunday’s NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions.

“I’ve made progress,” Love said. “It’s definitely feeling better. I think every day there will be some improvements to it but definitely feels better than it did on Sunday.”

Love was injured during the opening series in Jacksonville, and he played into the third quarter. On the first possession of the second half, he completed a pass to Josh Jacobs. While backing out of the pocket, he collided with Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker.

What seemed like a relatively minor collision ended Love’s day.

“My leg was just locking up, so I couldn’t make it to the sideline right there, so I just went down,” Love said.

There are two competing interests for Love and the team.

On one hand, the bye is next week. Sitting out this game and then the bye would give him two full weeks of rest to get past the groin and whatever lingering impact the Week 1 knee injury is having on his mobility and performance.

On the other hand, the Lions are 6-1 and the Packers are 6-2. A Green Bay victory would put it in first place in the NFC North and give it a leg up in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. A loss would not only put it two games behind the Lions in the loss column but make it 0-2 in division home games.

Does the importance of the game factor in the decision?

“I think it does,” he said, “but I think at the same time, no matter who we were playing with any injury, I’m going to try to get back as soon as I can. I want to be out there for the guys and my team and to put my best foot forward out there for them. So, I think, yeah, whoever it was, I would definitely try and get back as fast as possible, even with the bye being next week.”

LaFleur was noncommittal about Love practicing on Thursday.

Could he play without practicing this week?

“Potentially,” LaFleur said.

That’s something Love has not done in his brief career as a starter.

He was healthy last season, so the play-or-not scenario wasn’t a discussion. Following this year’s knee injury, Love did not practice and did not play against the Colts in Week 2, and then practiced as limited participation all week but did not play against the Titans in Week 3.

“Obviously, not practicing during the week is not the ideal format for trying to play a game,” Love said. “Things happen and, if that’s the scenario, I know I’ll be fine. But definitely it’s not the ideal scenario for going into a big week.”

For LaFleur, more important than the matchup and the schedule is Love’s ability to protect himself. The Packers don’t need Love to scramble for 20 yards, but they don’t want him to be a statue, either.

“I think just being able to play, move around in the pocket and not trying to hurt myself further by playing,” Love said. “I think that’s what he means by that. But for me, just being able to move around a little bit just be myself out there playing and not just trying to be stuck in the pocket not being able to move if I need to move, things like that.”

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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.