GREEN BAY – Matt LaFleur adjusted the Green Bay Packers schedule to account for the end of daylight savings time, but the biggest change at practice this week might be quarterback Jordan Love’s removal from the injury report. Love was a full participant Wednesday, something that didn’t happen as often as he or the team would have liked through the first nine weeks.

Love’s full participation signals he is fully healed not only from the torn MCL that forced him to miss two games in the season’s opening month, but also his groin injury last month in Jacksonville. LaFleur said his quarterback didn’t take any team reps before starting against the Detroit Lions before the Packers’ bye week.

“Anytime you miss a day and aren’t able to practice, that obviously is not ideal,” Love said. “Like I’ve talked about before. But it’s one of those things, control what you can control. You’ve got to go out there, get those mental reps, be great in the film room throughout the week. But being out there 100% feeling good is what I’d like to keep it throughout the rest of the season.”

Love healed just in time to face the Packers fierce NFC North rival.

It was fitting a year ago for Love to kick-start his career as Green Bay’s starting quarterback in Chicago. The Packers’ 38-20 win against the Bears to open the 2023 season was the first signal things hadn’t changed following Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the New York Jets.

A year later, Love acknowledged it was an “emotional” debut.

“I remember that game last year just on the sideline during the national anthem,” Love said, “I took a moment to just kind of take it all in. I took the crowd in and the atmosphere entering my first season as the starter. Just trying not to take anything for granted. Just blessed to be there, and going to take the opportunity, put my best foot forward and go out there and play and enjoy the opportunity that I’m blessed to be a part of.”

Love has built his catalog of experiences since, including beating the Bears twice. LaFleur never has lost to the Bears in 10 games as the Packers coach. The NFL’s oldest rivalry now consists of the league’s youngest team on one sideline, and a rookie quarterback with the Bears.

But Love said he respects the rivalry’s tradition.

“We know the history of the game,” Love said. “It’s definitely special to be a part of it, a rivalry that’s been going on, the oldest rivalry in football. It’s very special. I think we definitely take pride in it.”

Love believes it ‘would definitely be cool’ to develop quarterback rivalry with Caleb Williams

Love never has met Caleb Williams, but he knows his legacy will closely intertwine with the Bears quarterback.

When the Bears drafted Williams with the first overall pick in April, it presented the possibility for a quarterback rivalry within the NFC North. Williams has navigated his first NFL season behind a leaky Bears offensive line, sacked a league-high 38 times. He’s managed to complete 60.5% of his passes for 1,785 yards, nine touchdowns, five interceptions and an 81 passer rating.

After opening the season with a 4-2 record, the Bears have lost their past three games, falling under .500 and decreasing the hype surrounding Williams’ first matchup against Love. But Love still recognizes the possibility for a looming quarterback rivalry.

“I think that’s something that would definitely be cool,” Love said. “But at the end of the day, I think the just rivalry with Packers-Bears and the history of this rivalry is something I think is a little more special than that.”

Matt LaFleur adjusts Packers daily schedule to account for daylight savings

Entering their first game since the sun start setting earlier in Green Bay, LaFleur adjusted his team’s schedule.

The Packers coach said the schedule was pushed up earlier in the day to account for the end of daylight savings. LaFleur hopes to get his players out of the building earlier than the first half of this season.

“We changed up the schedule a little bit,” LaFleur said. “I would say that’s pretty typical for this time of the year when it gets dark here at 3:30, 4 o’clock. You try to get them out of the building a little bit earlier. I’m not a big fan of the whole daylight savings. Not that anybody cares. It does affect your body in how dark it gets here, but I think changing it up is good for our guys. Hopefully get them out a little bit earlier.”

LaFleur said he also rearranged the practice structure for his young team. With the Packers defense implementing a new 4-3 scheme under coordinator Jeff Hafley, LaFleur wanted to include ample reps against the scout team early this season. Those reps have now been repurposed for more competitive periods, matching a change LaFleur made midway through last season.

“Just to get that speed in,” LaFleur said, “I think is beneficial. It’s not like you card up the perfect looks. A lot of time you don’t get them in the game. So I think it’s beneficial to get some good on good.

“I thought it was good for us last year. I thought that was when we started to show a little more improvement.”