The Packers returned to the practice field Wednesday afternoon for the first time in over a week. The bye week certainly paid off for Green Bay. 51 of the 52 players on the active roster practiced. The only player that did not see the practice field was DT Colby Wooden. The most encouraging sign for Green Bay was QB Jordan Love was listed as a full participant at practice.
It is no secret that Jordan Love’s injuries has restricted the Packers offense. LaFleur mentioned after the Lions game that the groin injury was a reason why the Packers ran more plays out of shotgun as opposed to under center. After Wednesday’s practice, LaFleur spoke to the media about Love’s health, “It’d be good to just get him some practice under his belt where he’s fully healthy.”
It is still early on in the week but the injury report is certainly an encouraging sign for the Packers overall health. On top of Love’s positive injury designation, Green Bay saw Jaire Alexander, Josh Myers, and Evan Williams all return to practice. All three of these starters missed the Detroit game. Alexander, Myers, and Williams were all limited participants so there is still a decent level of uncertainty regarding their status against the Bears on Sunday.
Jordan Love Playing Under Center Opens Everything Up
In the second half of 2023, the Packers offense caught fire. The key ingredient in that recipe for success was the play action pass. Matt LaFleur’s offense is at its best when the QB spends the majority of his time under center. The Packers can run several variations off under center based formations. It gives the Packers the option to run bunch sets with 11 personal or dive into 12 personal formations.
Most importantly, the under center looks keeps the defense on their toes. It creates quite the disguise for Green Bay especially with how effective RB Josh Jacobs has been this season. Despite the Chicago Bears recent offensive struggles, their defense is no joke so being able to disguise the run and the pass will be crucial. Love’s mobility will allow LaFleur to prioritize the under center design plus Love’s ability to make off schedule plays will player a factor against a tough Bears defense.
QB Jordan Love appears to be on the right side of the injury bug. It appears that the bye week paid off for Love. Although Love played against Detroit, he was a limited participant throughout the week. That indicates that he did not take part in the team portion of practice. It is a great sign to hear Love is able to contribute during the team portion. That means Love is fulling engaged in the game plan. It is early in the week but Jordan Love is certainly trending in the right direction for Green Bay.
