There's hope!
After the Green Bay Packers' Week 8 win in Jacksonville, the mood wasn't great. A win's a win, but it was harder than usual to justify the normal postgame excitement while Jordan Love's injury status was still up in the air.
Love suffered a groin injury at some point in the first half and looked noticeably hobbled through a couple Packers' offensive series before getting subbed out. He wouldn't return to the game, and Malik Willis came into secure Green Bay's sixth win of the year.
When asked about Love's injury after the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn't have too many answers. All he said was that the team had a 'high level of concern' for Love, but couldn't provide any other details about what happened, or how serious it was.
Fortunately, it looks like the Packers dodged a bullet.
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According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the team is cautiously optimistic that Love avoided the worst-case scenario. Pelissero reported that Love will undergo tests on Monday, but the team isn't overly concerned that he'll miss a lot of time – or any time at all.
Packers are optimistic that Jordan Love avoided a serious groin injury
#Packers QB Jordan Love will undergo tests Monday, but there’s optimism he avoided a long-term injury today, per sources.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 27, 2024
Love kept playing after tweaking his groin but eventually had to come out. Status TBD for next Sunday’s showdown against the #Lions. pic.twitter.com/8jAMhWWLt7
It's obviously always good news when your franchise quarterback doesn't go down and miss time with another lower body injury, but it's especially encouraging considering what the next month of Green Bay's schedule looks like. Week 9's matchup against the Detroit Lions is arguably the biggest game of the season, and then games against the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins will test a group that has now won nail-biters in back-to-back weeks.
And to Willis' credit, it's not like the Packers haven't proven that they're capable of winning games without Love. But the Lions – and even the Bears – are a whole different challenge than the Titans, Colts, or Jaguars are, and the NFC North is way too good this season to rely heavily on a backup QB.
So it feels safe to assume that everyone can all go back to feeling great about a three-point win over the two-win Jaguars. Now, the long wait to Wednesday afternoon's injury report begins.