Although the issue is believed to be minor, the groin injury suffered by Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love will put his playing status “in doubt” for Sunday’s showdown with the Detroit Lions, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Rapoport described the injury as a “groin pull” and said it’s possible Love will sit this week before the bye to give the injury adequate time to rest and heal.
“This one much more minor. He’s dealing with a groin injury,” Rapoport said. “Not considered to be a major injury, really just a groin pull. But it does make his status for this week’s game in doubt. One game and then they have the bye if they want to get him extra rest, so it could be Malik Willis this week for the Packers.”
The Packers face the Lions Sunday at Lambeau Field and then have the bye in Week 10. Coming out of the bye, Matt LaFleur’s team goes to Chicago to play the Bears on Nov. 17.
Love suffered the groin injury while scrambling to his right early in Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played through it for the better part of two quarters, but the Packers pulled him from the game once Love — who was struggling with mobility — believed he could no longer protect himself.
Willis entered the game, led the Packers back from a 17-13 deficit and then delivered the game-winning drive after the Jaguars tied the game at 27-27 with under two minutes to go.
While Willis has been terrific in a backup role, not having Love would be a significant blow ahead of a major matchup with the Lions, who lead the NFC North at 6-1 entering Week 9.
If Love sits Sunday, he will have three full weeks between the day of the injury and the Week 11 matchup against the Bears. The Packers must first determine the severity of the injury and then weigh the risks and rewards of playing him Sunday.
While the Packers would love to have their starting quarterback available for a home game against the division leaders, getting Love healthy for the second half of the season is probably more important.