The Green Bay Packers have already successfully navigated one meaningful injury to QB Jordan Love this season, and now they’re staring down the barrel of a second.
Green Bay eked out a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, October 27, despite losing Love in the third quarter to what the team reported following the contest was a groin strain. Backup quarterback Malik Willis was solid in relief of Love, completing 4-of-5 passes for 56 yards and 1 TD.
Willis has largely be
en successful in his role as Love’s stand-in this season, posting a record of 2-0 as the starter and helping the Packers secure a three-point win over the Jags in Week 8.
However, the run-heavy formula on offense and the reliance on the defense to force turnovers that worked for Green Bay against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans in Weeks 2 and 3, when Love was down with a knee injury, will be more difficult to execute against the likes of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers — two of the next three opponents on the Packers’ schedule.
The talent of the competition and the uncertainty around Love’s health beg the question of whether Green Bay should explore the addition of another QB alongside Willis and third-string signal caller Sean Clifford should Love miss multiple games as he rehabs his injury.
One option for the Packers could be Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whose team demoted him in favor of Russell Wilson last week despite leading them to a 4-2 record while accounting for 10 total TDs and just 1 INT across those six contests.Fields landed with the Steelers via a trade this offseason with the Chicago Bears and is in the final year of his rookie contract.
