The Green Bay Packers not only lost in heartbreaking fashion, a defeat that leaves their playoff hopes in the balance, but they face a potential quarterback nightmare.
Jordan Love suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Packers' loss to the Chicago Bears. He only has a week to clear the concussion protocol, as Green Bay plays another Saturday night game versus the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17.
Malik Willis stepped in and played admirably, but he, too, appeared to suffer an injury late in the game. Willis looked in discomfort after a sack on the final play in regulation, holding his shoulder. He battled on and even completed a 31-yard pass in overtime, but the veteran didn't look completely comfortable. The Packers need to hope he's OK.
Packers face an anxious wait on their quarterback situation ahead of crucial game against Ravens
Willis finishing the game is a positive sign, hopefully indicating he didn't suffer an injury that could keep him out of Week 17. If nothing else, it's a sobering reminder. The Packers are lucky to have Willis on the bench, but beyond that, they'd be in real trouble.
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They didn't have a third quarterback active on Saturday night, but Clayton Tune is on the practice squad.
The Packers signed Tune to the practice squad in August after being waived by the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he lacks NFL experience. Tune has thrown just 23 passes in the regular season, completing 14 for 70 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions, an awful 29.3 passer rating. In other words, the Packers hope they won't need him in the final two games.
It's a situation worth monitoring. Again, Willis finishing the game is encouraging, but the Packers will hope he feels good this week.
The best-case scenario, of course, is Love clearing the concussion protocol and returning for Week 17. If he's not ready on Saturday night, they'll need another big performance from Willis. While Green Bay can still make the playoffs by winning one of its remaining two, it would need help. The only way to guarantee a playoff berth is to win out.
It leaves an anxious wait for updates on Love and Willis in the days ahead.