Jordan Love may have avoided disaster with his latest injury, but the Green Bay Packers have a difficult decision this week.
Love left Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a groin injury. Head coach Matt LaFleur said he was concerned, but early reports indicate Love avoided a long-term injury. According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Love will have an MRI on Monday, but the team believes it isn't serious.
Silverstein also noted that Love didn't suffer any damage to the left knee he previously injured this season, providing another sigh of relief for the Packers.
Looking through the long-term lens, the Packers don't have to worry about Love. They are 6-2, in great shape to make the playoffs, and should have their star quarterback fully healthy in the near future.
However, regarding Week 9, they face a tough decision.
Jordan Love injury leaves Packers in a tough spot ahead of huge Lions showdown
The Packers are only one game away from their bye week. In usual circumstances, the easy decision would be to let Love sit out for a game, giving him multiple weeks to fully heal and return for a matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 11.
Here's the problem: the Detroit Lions come to Lambeau Field next week.
It's a huge matchup, with the winner taking first place in the NFC North. It could have significant implications on the division title race, as a loss would put the Packers behind the eight ball. Not only would they fall to 6-3 compared to the Lions at 7-1, but they would've lost their only two divisional games—both at Lambeau Field.
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The results of Love's MRI may take the decision out of LaFleur's hands. Green Bay won't risk any long-term issues for Love, and Malik Willis will start if he isn't cleared. But if the outcome is somewhere in between, where Love is cleared but isn't fully healthy, LaFleur will be left with a nightmare scenario.
Play Love but risk further injury, or give him additional recovery time and live to fight another day?
If the Packers had another AFC opponent on deck, they could start Willis, trusting he could lead them to victory, but accept that a defeat wouldn't be a disastrous scenario in the NFC North race. A home loss to the Lions could be.
Detroit is one of the hottest teams in football and is scoring points for fun. No matter how well Willis has played, it's a big ask for him to keep pace with the Lions' high-powered offense.
There's no guarantee Love would do it, either, especially if he isn't 100 percent. We'll learn more about his status in the days ahead, but LaFleur could be left with a difficult decision.