Here we go again. We're on Jordan Love Watch all week. Will he play? Won't he? Matt LaFleur will do everything in his power to tell us absolutely nothing, which is understandable but frustrating.
Love suffered a strained groin in the Green Bay Packers' win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Reports indicate he escaped a significant injury, but his status for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions remains uncertain. The Packers hit the bye in Week 10, raising questions over whether Love should sit to ensure he is fully healthy after the week off.
LaFleur shut down that possibility and said Love will play if cleared. The bye week won't factor into their decision.
It's a huge game. Detroit is the hottest team in football after crushing the Tennessee Titans, 52-14, in Week 8. Green Bay may turn to Malik Willis, who has done nothing but win games since arriving in August. However, with all due respect to the Indianapolis Colts, Titans, and Jaguars, leading the Packers into a divisional matchup against the Lions is a far more daunting prospect.
Green Bay understandably has confidence in Willis, but it would take a monumental effort to win without Love under center. But the Packers' QB1 must be healthy enough.
Will Love play? Nobody knows for sure, likely not even the Packers, but ESPN's Adam Schefter is confident he will be out there.
Adam Schefter believes Jordan Love will play against Lions in Week 9
Speaking on ESPN's Unsportsmanlike podcast, Schefter said he believes Love will play against the Lions.
"He came out better in testing than I think everybody hoped he would. They're saying day to day," Schefter said. "The game is backed up against their bye week so if they didn't play him and went with Malik Willis again, that would give Jordan Love two weeks to rest. But I believe he's going to play on Sunday."
"I believe he'll be out there. That injury wasn't significant enough to prevent him from playing in what is going to be a huge, key game that could help decide the NFC North," he added.
Schefter called it a "guess," so it's not an official report, but the fact he is saying it at all is notable. He is one of the most informed insiders in the business and is unlikely to make such a prediction without some information.
He can't say for certain because the Packers likely don't even know yet. Love needs to practice first and see how his body responds. There's every chance Willis will start versus Detroit, but Schefter's comments stand out. He didn't hedge or give a non-answer. Again, he wasn't reporting anything, but his confidence in predicting Love will play carries some weight.
Should Love play if he is less than 100 percent? That's an entirely different question.