The Green Bay Packers‘ attention has mostly been focused on the health and playing status of Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, whom they will face on Sunday afternoon as part of the inaugural round of the playoffs, the no longer “Super”, “Wild Card Weekend”.
Hurts was in concussion protocol until Wednesday, at which point he returned to practice, and is now likely to start against the Packers this weekend, having missed last week’s 20-13 win against the New York Giants.
However, Green Bay’s – and their fans’ – attention will have sharply shifted to their own quarterback, Jordan Love, who missed the majority of last Sunday’s loss at home against the Chicago Bears with an elbow injury.
Whilst the injury did not seem hugely serious at the time, the fact that the Packers kept him out for the rest of the game with the #6 seed potentially on the line – and likely an easier playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – certainly speaks volumes.
Packers Receive Major Update on Jordan Love’s Availability For Wild Card Weekend
Love was limited in practice on Wednesday, with “right elbow” listed as the maligned body part, and experts suggesting that he probably injured his “funny bone”.
Now, the Packers have gotten some excellent news regarding the health of their franchise quarterback.
Green Bay insider for The Athletic, Matt Schniedman, revealed that Jordan Love had made multiple throws in practice, whilst ESPN Packers insider confirmed that both he and backup, Malik Wilis, were full participants on Thursday.
Both Jordan Love and Malik Willis were FULL participants in practice today, per Matt LaFleur. pic.twitter.com/L7YS5CCKlz
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 9, 2025
What Does The Packers Offense Look Like Going Into The Playoffs
With Jordan Love trending towards availability for Sunday, the entire composition and game plan of the team changes.
The offense did not look its sharpest last weekend sans Love, despite an admirable effort from the impressive Willis. And going up against the #1 team in football in total defense under legendary defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio – by over 22 yards/game. As such, the Packers truly cannot afford to be without their star quarterback, who famously lead the Packers to a Wild Card win as the #7 seed in January 2024 against the Dallas Cowboys.
With Christian Watson out with a torn ACL – a devastating injury that may even spill into the start of the 2025 season – Green Bay are already limited offensively.
The Eagles are also – unfortunately for the Packers – the top rated passing defense, with rookie Quinyon Mitchell already firmly in the conversation as one of the NFL’s best corners, and nickel Cooper DeJean receiving numerous plaudits for his excellent performances in his debut year.
Sadly for Green Bay, they cannot rely on their rushing attack to bulldoze the Eagles’ defense, with interior behemoths, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter leading the team to a birth as a top 10 rushing defense in the league.
In essence, Jordan Love’s ability to pull off a magical display with the pieces he has around him could be the only realistic shot at victory for the Packers this Sunday.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
