Jordan Love injured his leg against Eagles; status uncertain

GREEN BAY, Wis. — To make matters worse, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a leg injury in the final moments of his team's 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

How serious the injury was was still unclear after the game. In his radio interview with Larry McCarren after the game, coach Matt LaFleur said: “I don't know. We're waiting. Of course we're very concerned. We'll wait until we do more tests.”

The fate of a season full of Super Bowl ambitions will depend on these tests.

Dr. David Chao, a former Chargers team doctor and the man behind Sports Injury Central, thought Love had sprained his ankle.

In an article about SICChao concluded from his video analysis that the ankle injury was “more serious” than a possible concurrent knee injury and said there was “no need to worry” about a torn ACL.

“The injury appears to be less serious because it affects his front leg, which is not as important for kickoff as his back leg,” Chao wrote. “This detail could play an important role in determining his availability for future games.”

Other doctors who made an online diagnosis, such as Dr. Jesse Morse, feared an ACL injury.

“If you slow it down, I think you can see a pop or a shift (in Love's knee),” Morse said. “That's at least an MCL sprain. My biggest concern is the ACL, unfortunately.”

LaFleur had nothing to say during his postgame press conference. When asked twice about Love, he simply said, “I don't know.”

The Packers trailed 29-34 when they lined up at their 16-yard line with 22 seconds left. On the first play, Love fired hard to the left and hit Jayden Reed for a 33-yard gain. Suddenly the Packers were on the rise again.

On the first attempt, however, Love stepped into the pocket and was grabbed by defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Love was able to break free, but was immediately intercepted by defensive end Josh Sweat.

Carter was on the ground and grabbed Love's left shin. Love passed the ball sideways to running back Josh Jacobs while Carter grabbed Love's leg and threw Sweat Love to the turf. The injury occurred because Love's ankle was trapped under Carter.

Love was visibly in pain when training staff came to his aid.

When the game ended, Love left the field with the help of a trainer and running back Josh Jacobs.

“Obviously you don't want one of your teammates to get hurt (and obviously you don't want the leader of your team to get hurt either),” Jacobs said. “We don't know how serious his injury is, but hopefully he's OK.”

Chao, whose diagnosis was more optimistic, believed Love might play in next week's home opener against the Indianapolis Colts, albeit with limited mobility.

Love started all 17 games last season and both playoff games.

“We know what kind of guy he is and how he approaches everything,” receiver Christian Watson said. “Whatever it is, I know he's going to get through it. We're going to get through it. I'll leave the rest to God. I'm not sure right now.”

After a stellar second half last season, Love looked more like a run-of-the-mill quarterback than a future MVP worthy of being the highest-paid player in the history of the sport.

After playing just three snaps in the preseason — back on Aug. 10 in Cleveland — Love completed 17 of 34 passes for 260 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. It was a make-or-break night for Love. Of his 17 completions, five went for 177 yards and the other 12 went for 83 yards.

The Packers gained 414 yards, but only managed 3 of 11 third down attempts and 1 of 4 in the red zone.

The problems were particularly bad in the red zone. The defense started the game with an interception by Xavier McKinney and a fumble recovery by Devonte Wyatt, which set up the offense at the Eagles' 19 and 13. The Packers managed just two field goals on those possessions.

The third red zone foul came midway through the fourth quarter, and the Packers had to settle for a 26-yard field goal that narrowed the gap to 31-29 with 7:52 minutes left.

“We were damn good in that area and we got destroyed in that area tonight,” said a frustrated LaFleur, emphasizing the word “destroyed.”

And yet, if the defense had been able to stop Love, he would have had a chance to walk off the field a hero instead of limping in agony.

Instead, the Eagles let 7:25 run off the clock and Love was injured.

“That was tough to watch,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. “That's the franchise. Hopefully he can be back next week and be OK.”

The Packers have played two games away from home. In both – against the Giants in 2022 and against the Eagles on Friday – the Packers lost and the starting quarterback was injured.

In 2022, the Packers lost five games in a row after Aaron Rodgers broke his thumb. Given the Packers' poor performance on Friday, even though they still had a chance to win, there's a good chance this game will remain just a blip on the radar.

As long as love can play.

“We shot ourselves in the foot too many times,” Watson said. “Pre-snap penalties, execution in the red zone. We know what we're capable of. We'll be critical of ourselves in the film room. We've got to move on and try to win next week. We knew we could win this game. We just had to do better.”

More news about the Green Bay Packers

Packers – Eagles: Packers lose, Love injured | Four Downs | Live updates

Pre-match transactions on Friday | Four decisive duels | Latest news on Tucker Kraft | Packers-Eagles: three reasons to believe | Packers-Eagles: Three reasons for concern | NFC North Rankings | Narveson made it to Green Bay in two steps | Three reasons for optimism in 2024 | Three reasons for the disappointment in 2024 | Tips for every game (and the Super Bowl) | Consensus power rankings | Stokes healthy, smiling | Another new running back | Watson “ready to rock”