Ultimately, it's probably good news that the Green Bay Packers didn't put Jordan Love on injured reserve. Losing your starting quarterback for an entire month never quite works out the way you want it to, and the fact that Love was able to avoid it means that his knee is probably better off than anyone originally expected when he first went down on the final play of the Packers' Week 1 game in Brazil.
All in all, they avoided disaster.
But in another, less serious way, it's the worst thing that'll happen this season. And that's because now, every week, I'm going to fall – hook, line, and sinker – for the idea that Love may not miss much time at all.
In fact, I'm already sorta thinking that he's going to play this weekend against the Colts. You may think that sounds stupid, and you're probably right. But as long as Matt LaFleur keeps hinting that it's possible, I'm going to suspend all disbelief. Right now, it kinda seems like the door is open. You be the judge! That way you won't get mad at me for this blog.
Matt LaFleur certainly sounds like a guy who thinks Jordan Love may play in Week 2
On Monday, Matt LaFleur left the door open that Jordan Love could play Sunday vs. the Colts.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 11, 2024
He didn’t close that door today, saying “I’d say it’s pretty open.”
That said, Love has not been cleared and LaFleur could be just trying to keep everyone guessing.
Sighhhhhhh. I know that the smart, responsible, prudent thing to do here is acknowledge that sprained MCLs don't magically recover after one week, and that LaFleur is just doing that annoying thing that every NFL coach does where he pretends we're all big dumb idiots that refuse to think critically.
However, as a big dumb idiot who's choosing not to think critically in this one specific moment, I gotta say: it's happening. Love's back. He somehow magically healed his knee on the flight back from Brazil and is going to start against the Colts. There's absolutely no way this is just a ruse – NFL coaches are nothing if not honest and forthcoming. If you wanna roll your eyes at LaFleur's gamesmanship and prepare for 60 full minutes of Malik Willis, I'm not stopping you. In the long run, that sort of self-preservation is probably the right move.
I, however, will be over here acting fully delusional. LaFleur didn't close the door, and that's good enough for me. All he can do is leave the door open and wait for us to walk on through. So do it, and join me in the sunlight.