The seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers (11-6) are still figuring out if they will have starting quarterback Jordan Love (elbow) at the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) on Sunday afternoon for their NFC wild-card game.
“Yeah, he was limited,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday when asked if Love was able to throw in practice. “Yeah, on a limited basis.”
After saying “yes” postgame after suffering an elbow injury in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears, Love was a little less certain about his game status for Sunday when asked again about it Wednesday. He said the numbness in his hand disappeared Monday and that he can grip a football fine, according to The Athletic, but soreness in the elbow remains, which causes some pain when he throws.
“We’ll see. Yeah. I’m hopeful,” Love said, via The Athletic.
Love said he was limited in practice Wednesday because of his hand and getting back to gripping and throwing the ball. Green Bay allowed local media to watch the team stretch, but it prohibited reporters from watching the individual position drills portion of practice they typically get to see, per The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Backup quarterback Malik Willis was also limited Wednesday because of a wrist injury he suffered against the Bears in Week 18. If needed, the Packers are 2-0 in Willis starts this season, which came against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 (16-10 win) and at the Tennessee Titans (30-14 win) in Week 3. He completed 76% of his passes, registered three total touchdowns and didn’t turn the ball over while throwing for 324 yards and rushing for 114 yards. During those two weeks, Willis led the entire NFL in yards per pass attempt (9.8) and yards per carry (9.5), which made him only the fifth player in the last 50 years to lead the league in both categories in a two-week span (minimum 12 pass attempts and 12 rush attempts each), per CBS Sports Research. The other four players are Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (2024), Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (2022), Titans quarterback Steve McNair (1997) and Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham (1987).
