Some good news for Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers: Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, initial testing on Love’s knee revealed his ACL — or anterior cruciate ligament — is intact, but more testing is required once the team returns to Green Bay to discover the severity of the knee injury.
Love was injured on the third to last play of the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night in Brazil. He appeared to get hit in the side of his left knee, creating the injury mechanism. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, an ankle injury has been ruled out for Love, so more testing will be done to figure out what is injured inside his knee.
An intact ACL rules out one possible scenario that would have ended Love’s 2024 season.
On-field tests for an ACL tear are common. According to Physiopedia, a Lachman Test can be performed to test the “integrity” of the ACL and the stability of the knee. Medical personnel for the Packers likely knew soon after the injury if Love’s ACL was severely injured.
The Packers are flying home from Sao Paulo, a flight of over 10 hours. Once the team lands in Green Bay mid-day Saturday, more diagnostic imaging can be done on Love’s injury.
The Packers, now 0-1 after Friday night’s defeat, don’t play again until Sunday, Sept. 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. The backup quarterbacks are Malik Willis, who was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans ahead of final cuts, and Sean Clifford, a 2023 fifth-round pick who backed up Love last season.