The Green Bay Packers headed into Week 16’s matchup against the Chicago Bears with high hopes of clinching a playoff spot while taking down their bitter NFC North division rivals.
Green Bay seemed to be making some progress toward beating the Bears, as they took a 13-3 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Chicago turned it on late in the game to force overtime, resulting in Caleb Williams and company coming out on top and punching their ticket to the NFL playoffs.
Along with losing to the Bears and suffering a second straight loss, the Packers lost star quarterback Jordan Love to a concussion, putting his status in doubt for Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Matt LaFleur Reveals Jordan Love’s Status
GettyJordan Love #10 of the Green Bay Packers
On Tuesday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the media and gave an update on Love’s status after going down in the first half of Saturday’s game.
“He’s in the (concussion) protocol, and he’ll practice per the protocol, so he’ll be limited,” LaFleur said of Love’s status.
Along with Love being in concussion protocol, backup quarterback Malik Willis is dealing with a shoulder injury.
“He will be limited as well,” LaFleur said of Willis.
LaFleur wasn’t exactly encouraged by the updates on his starting and backup quarterbacks.
“Not necessarily. We have to see how they progress throughout the week. By no means are they in the clear.”
Obviously, this isn’t great news for the Packers, as the team is on the cusp of clinching a playoff spot in the NFC with two games remaining in the regular season.
Green Bay will be playoff-bound if it can get a win over Baltimore on Saturday. The Detroit Lions losing to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 would also result in the Packers clinching a playoff spot.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs Also Limited in Practice
GettyJosh Jacobs #8 of the Green Bay Packers
Another primary concern for the Packers moving forward is the status of star running back Josh Jacobs, who has been dealing with injuries for a few weeks now.
LaFleur said Jacobs will also be limited in practice on Tuesday.
“He will be limited,” LaFleur said of Jacobs.
Jacobs is having a stellar season with the Packers up to this point and has a chance to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark against the Ravens. If he’s ultimately cleared and can play, the veteran back will be 74 yards away from reaching that total, as he currently has 926 rushing yards on the year to go along with 13 rushing touchdowns.
With Jacobs being a vital part of Green Bay’s offense, the team’s success offensively against the Ravens will be crucial to securing a win and clinching a playoff spot.
The statuses of Jacobs, Love and Willis will be something closely monitored for the rest of the week leading up to the matchup with the Ravens on Saturday, as they could be the difference between winning and losing for the Packers.
Green Bay is currently favored (-2.5) despite the uncertain statuses of Love and Jacobs.
