The Green Bay Packers have already successfully navigated one meaningful injury to QB Jordan Love this season, and now they’re staring down the barrel of a second.
Green Bay eked out a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, October 27, despite losing Love in the third quarter to what the team reported following the contest was a groin strain. Backup quarterback Malik Willis was solid in relief of Love, completing 4-of-5 passes for 56 yards and 1 TD.
Willis has largely been successful in his role as Love’s stand-in this season, posting a record of 2-0 as the starter and helping the Packers secure a three-point win over the Jags in Week 8.
However, the run-heavy formula on offense and the reliance on the defense to force turnovers that worked for Green Bay against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans in Weeks 2 and 3, when Love was down with a knee injury, will be more difficult to execute against the likes of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers — two of the next three opponents on the Packers’ schedule.
The talent of the competition and the uncertainty around Love’s health beg the question of whether Green Bay should explore the addition of another QB alongside Willis and third-string signal caller Sean Clifford should Love miss multiple games as he rehabs his injury.
One option for the Packers could be Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose team demoted him in favor of Russell Wilson last week despite leading them to a 4-2 record while accounting for 10 total TDs and just 1 INT across those six contests.
Fields landed with the Steelers via a trade this offseason with the Chicago Bears and is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Packers Have Reason for Concern, Optimism in Wake of Jordan Love’s Groin Injury
Head coach Matt LaFleur cited a “high level of concern” over Love’s injury during his postgame press conference, noting that the QB had trouble moving effectively and that the team and quarterback both eventually succumbed to concerns that Love couldn’t “protect himself.”
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network put a rosier spin on the issue a bit later in the evening, reporting some optimism coming out of the Green Bay organization.
“#Packers QB Jordan Love will undergo tests Monday, but there’s optimism he avoided a long-term injury today, per sources,” Pelissero wrote. “Love kept playing after tweaking his groin but eventually had to come out. Status TBD for next Sunday’s showdown against the [Detroit] Lions.”
Another point of optimism for Green Bay comes in the form of its bye week, which falls in Week 10 following the game against Detroit and one week before the team travels to Soldier Field to take on the Bears.
Trading for Justin Fields Can Offer Packers Safety Net Against Struggles, Injury for Malik Willis
That said, Love could be looking at anywhere from 2-6 weeks out if he suffered a Grade 1 or Grade 2 groin strain. A Grade 3 strain, which doesn’t appear likely now given Pelissero’s report, could have meant the QB would miss the remainder of the season.
Fields would be among the highest-end safety plays the Packers could make in case Willis struggles against a better class of opponents and/or suffers an injury himself. The team averaged well over 200 yards rushing against the Colts and Titans with Willis under center, but that kind of production is unlikely against opponents like Detroit and San Francisco.
And while Willis was also solid in Jacksonville Sunday, 51 of his 56 passing yards came on a single completion to wide receiver Jayden Reed.
If Green Bay doesn’t believe Love will be ready to go in Chicago on November 17, the Packers will be playing with a bit of fire by not adding another QB to the roster to both maintain depth and familiarize another signal caller with the offense.
Fields would probably cost the team a late Day 2 or early Day 3 draft asset in 2025, while the Packers could instead sign a less qualified quarterback off of the mid-season free agency scrap heap. Either way, though, adding another QB is better than nothing and could be an avenue the Packers pursue as early as next week.
