Many feared the Packers’ season was over before it even got a chance to take off when quarterback Jordan Love went down with an apparent leg injury during the final drive of the team’s season opener in Brazil. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, though, in Week 4, Love will attempt to make a return to the field much earlier than expected in an effort to keep his team in the NFC North race. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirms Love will start.
That goal is made much easier by the fact that backup quarterback Malik Willis has led Green Bay to two straight wins following the season-opening loss. Willis hasn’t been a world-beater as a stand-in passer for the past two weeks, but he’s been an effective enough replacement to secure two wins for his squad.
Willis has been so effective, in fact, that there has been speculation that both Love and Willis could get playing time this week with Love active. This could be an idea that results from slow-playing Love in his return to the field. If they aren’t 100 percent confident that their new franchise passer is ready to return in a safe and healthy way, they likely won’t hesitate to put Willis back in under center.
When Love suffered his injury, there were predictions that he would miss anywhere from three to six weeks. Should he make his return this week, he would beat even the most liberal estimates after only a two-game absence. Two weeks ago, it was reported that Love was aiming for a Week 5 return, and there was even some hope that he might appear last week, but it looks like this weekend will be the time for his comeback.
