The Green Bay Packers didn’t just lose the game to the Chicago Bears on Saturday; they lost both of their quarterbacks in what could be a headache for their Week 17 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens. Jordan Love and Malik Willis both left Saturday’s game due to injuries, and their practice status was an important benchmark in a game where the Packers could clinch a playoff spot.
On Tuesday, those hopes took a small step in the right direction. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters, including ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, that both quarterbacks were limited in practice. While the Packers have the rest of the week, LaFleur also told Andy Herman of the "Pack A Day Podcast" that both will need to progress throughout the week to play on Saturday.
The news isn’t a worst-case scenario, but it also puts the Packers on high alert. With a playoff spot available for the taking, the injury situation will be worth monitoring and could put third-string backup Clayton Tune in a rough spot.
Jordan Love, Malik Willis’s Status Looms Large Ahead of Week 17
Love left Saturday’s game in Chicago during the second quarter when he took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Bears defensive end Austin Booker. Love was placed into concussion protocol and remains there after Tuesday’s practice, but with this being his first documented concussion during his professional career, there’s some optimism that he can start against the Ravens.
If he isn’t able to clear protocol, things could get tricky. Willis injured his right (throwing) shoulder after he was sacked by Montez Sweat late in the game, and while he was able to finish, he enters this week banged up. A limited practice is another good sign, but it’s also the first step to see how the shoulder responds after getting some work in on Tuesday.
That could put the spotlight on Tune. A fifth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 draft, Tune has made one start in his three seasons in the league, completing 11-of-20 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions in a 27-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns during his rookie season. The Houston product was released by the Cardinals at the end of training camp this year, and the Packers have since stashed him on their practice squad.
Although the Ravens could be starting backup Tyler Huntley after Lamar Jackson suffered a back injury in Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots, starting Tune would be an even bigger dropoff for the Packers as they look to earn a playoff spot and keep their slim hopes for a division title alive.
With that, Love and Willis’s status will be monitored closely as both players hope to be healthy enough to play on Saturday night.