Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love isn’t ruling anything out when it comes to playing in a Week 9 showdown against the Detroit Lions.
Love left the team’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend after suffering a groin injury that worsened as the game went on and eventually rendered him incapable of continuing. The Packers QB spoke to media members on Wednesday, October 30, for the first time since sustaining the injury and provided a somewhat optimistic outlook on his chances to play against Detroit at Lambeau Field Sunday.
“Obviously, you know, it wasn’t ideal. But it happened, so I tried to do my best to keep playing,” Love said, noting he felt relatively fine in moments of limited movement. “I’m gonna take it one day at a time. Do my best I can being here doing rehab … and try and get back as soon as possible.”
A reporter asked Love if he wanted to play, while another chimed in with a question about whether it is realistic he could be on the field against the Lions this weekend.
“I definitely wanna play,” Love continued. “I think it’s realistic.”
A victory over Detroit would pull the Packers into a tie with the Lions atop the NFC North at 6-2. The Minnesota Vikings could also move to 6-2 with a victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, which would create a three-way tie at the top of the division, as Minnesota has beaten Green Bay and lost to Detroit already this season.
Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Won’t Commit to Jordan Love’s Status Against Lions
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke following his team’s narrow victory over Jacksonville on Sunday and didn’t sound incredibly optimistic about Love’s injury then.
“Obviously high level of concern,” LaFleur said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “I think everybody could see him struggling to move around, and I just got to a point where we didn’t — he didn’t feel like he could protect himself.”
However, his tune changed meaningfully when speaking with media members on Wednesday, though LaFleur was far from definitive in either direction when it came to Love’s game status.
“He’s moving around better,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, yeah, we’ll push the envelope with that. I know he wants to play, but we’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week.”
Green Bay Will Rely on Malik Willis if Jordan Love Can’t Play Against Detroit
If Love can’t go, the Packers will turn to backup quarterback Malik Willis.
Willis has been excellent for Green Bay this season, leading the team to a 2-0 record across Weeks 2-3 after Love suffered a knee injury late against the Philadelphia Eagles in the opening game of the year. He also stepped in and played well late against the Jaguars in another Packers victory that will count toward Love’s win/loss record.
However, the Lions will present a different sort of challenge for Willis that will test just how good of a backup QB situation Green Bay has, as Love rehabilitates his second significant injury of the year.
