Friday night was not a good one for Green Bay Packers fans. In addition to seeing their team lose a tightly contested game to the Philadelphia Eagles, Packers fans saw their quarterback, Jordan Love, sustain a knee injury near the end of Green Bay's 34-29 setback.
Tests have revealed that Love sustained an MCL sprain, as confirmed by CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones, following a previous report from NFL Media that Love's ACL was intact. He's expected to be out 3-6 weeks. There is optimism that Love could return sooner than later pending a second opinion. ESPN has reported that Love will miss 3-4 weeks, so the general thought is that he won't be out for more than a month.
Love will miss the team's upcoming home game against the Colts, Green Bay's Week 3 game at Tennessee and its Week 4 home matchup with Minnesota. At the earliest, Love could be back for the team's Week 5 road matchup against the Rams.
Love's injury have somewhat impacted the Packers' odds moving forward. Green Bay's win/loss projection dipped from 9.7 to 9.2 games, according to SportsLine's principal data engineer Stephen Oh. The team's odds at winning the division went from 39.8% to 32.9%, and their playoff odds dropped from 63.3% to 55%.
The injury occurred during the Packers' final possession on Friday when Love was hit by linebacker Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Jalen Carter while getting the ball to running back Josh Jacobs.
Another look at the Jordan Love injury: The left ankle area gets twisted. Anterior and lateral side of left knee looks like it could -at a minimum-have some soreness. Preliminary observations. We’ll wait for official assessment after an MRI. #Packers pic.twitter.com/YtzHcVuRFB
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 7, 2024
Malik Willis, a 2022 third-round pick whom Green Bay recently traded for, finished the game for the Packers. He threw an incomplete pass to Romeo Doubs on his first snap before he was sacked on the game's final play.
The is obviously not the start of the year the Packers envisioned for Love, who signed a massive contract extension this offseason following his successful first year as Green Bay's starting quarterback. He threw 32 touchdowns during the 2023 regular season while helping lead the Packers to an unexpected wild card berth. He then compiled a near-perfect passer rating during Green Bay's upset win over Dallas in the first round of the playoffs.
Against the Eagles, Love went 17 of 34 for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception prior to his injury, an injury that is still being evaluated.
So, what does Love's injury mean for the Packers? And who could be some possible replacements? We explored both of those questions here.
