Packers QB Love expected to return this season
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love injured his medial collateral ligament in the team’s season-opening game, but didn’t suffer damage to his ACL and should return at some point this season, the Associated Press has learned.
Love hurt his knee on the third-to-last play of the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo on Friday night. ESPN reported Love could miss three to four weeks, while NFL Network estimated it at three to six weeks.
The injury occurred as Love was attempting to drive the Packers to a game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds. He had just thrown a 33-yard completion to Jayden Reed that got them near midfield. On the next play, Love faced major pressure from Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat as he threw a backward pass to Josh Jacobs.
Carter was lying down and had hold of Love’s left leg when Sweat pushed the quarterback to the ground. Love remained on the ground for several seconds, then slowly got up and limped to the sideline with assistance.
Malik Willis, who was acquired from the Tennessee Titans, replaced Love for the final two plays of the game. Willis got sacked as time expired before he could attempt a Hail Mary pass.
Love, 25, was playing his first regular-season game since signing a four-year, $220-million US contract extension this summer. The Packers entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations largely because of the emergence of Love, who led the NFL’s youngest team to a surprising playoff berth last season as a first-year starter.
The Packers believe Love is on track to continue the franchise’s three-decade run of outstanding quarterback production, a tradition that began in the 1990s with Hall of Famer Brett Favre and continued with fourtime MVP Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers traded Rodgers in spring 2023 to make way for Love, who completed 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season.
The only other quarterbacks to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in their first season making multiple starts were Kurt Warner in 1999 and Patrick Mahomes in 2018.
The only quarterbacks to throw more than 32 touchdown passes in their first season with multiple starts were Mahomes (50), Warner (41) and Daunte Culpepper (33 in 2000).
Now, the Packers must try to win without Love as their franchise quarterback begins his recovery.
Willis, a 2022 third-round pick from Liberty, is the only other quarterback on the Packers’ 53-man roster. He made three starts his rookie year and didn’t throw for as many as 100 yards in any of them.