Jordan Love injury: Packers QB just can’t catch a break
![Green Bay Packers, Jordan Love (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) Green Bay Packers, Jordan Love (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Flombardiave-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1334476329-850x560-2f5a1e87752eb138282254f5aa523b6c3e4a5022d89773b75a35a283d26302ec.jpg)
There were plenty of positives to take away from Jordan Love‘s debut in the Green Bay Packers‘ preseason opener on Saturday night.
Love made some excellent throws in a solid performance that saw him finish with 122 yards, a touchdown, and a passer rating of 110.4.
However, Love’s night was cut short as he suffered a shoulder injury. The good news is that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the MRI “came back clean” and that he is “unlikely to miss time”.
That’s a huge sigh of relief that Love didn’t suffer a serious injury. However, head coach Matt LaFleur does expect Love to miss a couple of days of practice and potentially could miss this week’s preseason game against the New York Jets.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur said QB Jordan Love and his shoulder is "doing fine," but there's a chance that he could miss a couple of days, potentially including this upcoming weekend's game against the Jets.
— Olivia Reiner (@ReinerOlivia) August 15, 2021
Frustrating injury costs Love key developmental time
If not for the pandemic, Love would’ve had a full preseason in 2020 and more practice reps to develop. That opportunity was taken away from him.
This summer, the expectation was that Love would play the majority of the snaps in the preseason and it would provide him an excellent opportunity to get much-needed reps in a real game situation. That’s why it was surprising to see him come out the game at halftime.
The Packers are absolutely right to be cautious with Love’s injury as they don’t want to risk making it worse. And while the injury isn’t a serious one, it could cost Love some crucial practice time this week and potentially one of the team’s three preseason games.
Love has still had a ton of valuable reps on the practice field this summer and the first half of the preseason opener will have helped him. Even if he doesn’t play this week, he could be back for the final exhibition game next week.
But it must be incredibly frustrating for both Love and the Packers. The second-year QB has been incredibly unlucky when it comes to the preseason over the past year.