Love appears to have avoided a full Grade 2 MCL tear.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has a “Grade 1-slash-2” MCL sprain. That’s notable, as this seems to be the first mention of the grade of Love’s knee injury that he suffered in the Packers’ season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
Per Dr. Matt Matava, who currently serves as the NFL’s Chairman of their Research and Innovation Committee, a Grade 1 tear, often called a sprain, signifies a mild injury, while a Grade 2 tear signifies that an MCL is partially torn. He also stated back in 2014 that “The majority of MCL injuries do not require surgery,” which is good to know moving forward.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, Grade 1 means that less than 10 percent of fibers in the ligament are torn, though, there is still “mild pain.” Here is how they describe a Grade 2 MCL tear:
A grade 2 MCL tear is a moderate tear in which your MCL is partially torn — usually the superficial part of your MCL. Your knee will likely be loose when it’s moved by hand, and you’ll probably have intense pain and tenderness along the inner side of your knee.
The Clinic also states that MCL tears usually “heal on its own” within one to three weeks, though, rest is a key part of that healing. Love, notably, suited up for practice three times this week, which hardly seems like a rest.
Officially, the Packers listed Love as questionable for this week’s game against the Tennessee Titans. With that being said, Love was also listed as questionable last Friday, only to be downgraded to doubtful by Saturday.
