The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Green Bay Packers in a key early season showdown in Week 4 but they still don’t know which quarterback they’ll be facing on Sunday afternoon.
Jordan Love’s status has been up in the air after suffering a knee injury during a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. While Love has been inching closer to a return to the field in the past couple of weeks, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was vague on his condition when talking to reporters on Monday, saying Love will be “limited” in practice and will “work it day-by-day.”
"I think anybody that saw what happened to him, that’s a legitimate injury. He’s working through it. He’s doing everything in his power to be out there. We want him out there."
- Packers head coach Matt LaFleur
Jordan Love's status still a mystery for showdown with Vikings
Love suffered a sprained MCL after Jalen Carter tackled him in the closing moments of a 34-29 loss to Philadelphia in San Paolo, Brazil on Sept. 6. Love escaped serious injury on the play and was expected to miss a few weeks due to the injury. But Love returned to practice last week and wasn’t ruled out until the inactive list was released on Sunday 90 before the Packers faced the Tennessee Titans.
It would make sense if the Packers wanted their franchise signal caller under center as soon as possible – especially with a key divisional matchup on Sunday. But the Packers could also be taking a long-term view after making Love the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history with a four-year extension in August.
If the Packers choose to be cautious, Malik WIllis has done a solid job filling in, completing 73.5 percent of his passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. But while he has won both starts in Love’s absence, the Packers’ game plan shifted dramatically with 53 rushing attempts against the Colts and 37 rushing attempts against the Titans last week.
Put it together and there’s a real chance the Minnesota Vikings may not know who is starting at quarterback for the Green Bay Packers until they run out of the tunnel on Sunday afternoon for their Week 4 matchup. Then again, it may not matter the way Brian Flores’s defense has been playing this season, ranking second behind the Pittsburgh Steelers with 30 points allowed in the first three games.
