The Green Bay Packers decided to pull Jordan Love from their week 8 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week after the quarterback suffered what turned out to be a minor groin sprain.

Signs point to a possibility for him to ramp back up and return against the division rival Detroit Lions on Sunday, but that might not be the best idea.

Better Safe Than Sorry

The primary goal each week for any NFL team is to add a checkmark to the win column, but you can’t always throw caution to the wind in service of that goal. The common line of thinking amongst fans who share my opinion this week is something along the lines of; “you can’t win the NFC North this week, but you might be able to lose it if you severely injure your starting quarterback.”

Of course beating the Lions would be a huge step in the right direction for the Packers, and it would put them in first place in the NFC North for the first time this season, but they might just have to figure out a game plan to allow backup QB Malik Willis to help them achieve that goal.

Malik Willis has been a solid backup during his three outings so far this season. He’s careful with the ball, he can make plays with his legs, and he’s even had a few nice throws. Here’s the catch, Malik Willis has only seen action against three teams that have a combined record of 7-16. He’s played against the bottom three teams in arguably the least competitive division in the NFL. The Detroit Lions, however, might just be the best team in the NFL.

No one is saying it will be easy for Willis to come in and beat Detroit, in fact he probably won’t. The fact is, a hobbled Jordan Love probably won’t either. It’s a long season, and this game will mark the exact halfway point of that long season for the Packers. With a bye week coming up directly after the Lions game, it might be best to view these next few weeks as an opportunity to get healthy and come back stronger than before.

Can the Packers Even Win?

Of course, anything can happen. Malik Willis might put on a clinic. There’s also the possibility that Jordan Love ends up being nearly 100 percent by the time kickoff rolls around on Sunday afternoon. Either way, I think with the information we have now the best bet will be for the Packers to design a plan for Malik Willis, and allow him to go out and execute that plan. A hefty dose of Josh Jacobs and a good defensive outing might just secure the Packers a win without Love, and that’s obviously the ideal outcome.

The fact is, the Packers are likely going to be hurting at the QB position this Sunday whether they field a backup or not. Love already looked like he could barely move around before finally losing his balance after a shove from Jaguars defensive End Travon Walker that ultimately ended up straining his groin badly enough to sideline him. Love looked uncomfortable in Jacksonville, and his timing and rhythm seemed to be a bit rattled. A quarterback in that condition isn’t going to get the job done against one of the league’s best teams.

Losing to Detroit would put the Packers at 6-3 heading into their bye week but they would have ample opportunity after the bye to clean things up and take the division with four games left against NFC North opponents.

Outlook

Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur said “If he can go, he’ll go,” when asked about Jordan Love’s status for Sunday’s matchup against Detroit. This is of course the kind of answer we’ve come to expect from Matt LaFleur, a coach who’s been pretty good at keeping things close to the chest. Ultimately though, it tells us that there is no certainty that Love will be ready.

Like all Packers fans, I want to see Jordan Love play this Sunday, but that desire comes with the caveat that he only plays if he’s clearly ready to move around and protect himself to the degree that he’ll probably need to against a good Lions defense.

The 6-2 Green Bay Packers will host the 6-1 Detroit Lions on Sunday at 3:25 central. Expect to know more about injury updates as the week of practice progresses leading up to game day.

——————

Zack is a college student and cheesehead from California. When he’s not in class or writing, you can find him talking about the Packers on Twitter at @Zack_Upchurch.

——————