Should the Packers Worry About Love’s Recurring Injuries?

As Week Nine approaches, Jordan Love's status for a vast divisional matchup against the rival Detroit Lions is up in the air. After playing in over three and a half quarters against the Jaguars, Love stumbled off the field and fell in pain, gripping his lower stomach. Fans, players, and coaches were immediately alarmed by how Love had gone down and then how he had not returned to action for the rest of the game. With some injuries already under his belt this season, should the Packers worry about Love's injuries?

At this point, monitoring his injuries is better than raising the red flag and panic button. Love has been fortunate early in his career, and he completed all of last season, including the regular season and playoffs, without missing a game. However, it was unrealistic to assume such luck would continue because football is very violent and harsh on the body, which eventually catches up no matter who the player is. Love's healthy status eventually ran out as he was injured in the final seconds of Green Bay's game versus the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil in Week One. I sat in front of my television, like many other fans, in horror as he rolled around on the field, yelling in pain and gripping his lower leg. The way he went down, how he was gripping his leg, and the intense pain looked like this could be a severe injury for the rising star quarterback. The Packers were fortunate, as Love only missed two games due to an MCL sprain and has been healthy and ready to go ever since. Other quarterbacks from his draft class have not been as lucky as Love; Tua Tagovalioa went down with multiple concussions, Joe Burrow has had an ACL tear and wrist tear, and Justin Herbert needs help to stay healthy. Love has only played one entire season with his counterparts, already three to four seasons under their belt, so who knows what other injuries Love could have had if he had been thrown into the fire as a rookie. 

Then, Love goes down with a groin injury against the Jaguars. It was the second mild injury of his career so far, and it has only been nine weeks into his second season. Early reports say it is a strain, not a tear, but it shows how injuries for the Packers franchise quarterback could pile up as the season progresses. The Packers have a good plan in place with backup Malik Willis playing excellent football, but Love brings another dimension to the offense and can break a game open at any time. The Packers should not be concerned yet. Love’s first injury came in a game with horrible field conditions, a good Eagles defensive line, and pouring rain, a recipe for disaster. However, Love strained his groin at the end of a play untouched in beautiful, warm Jacksonville. Love is in a much better situation than his predecessor, who tore his Achilles and seemed to be losing the battle against Father Time. The obvious choice is to let Love rest against the Lions and into the bye and then come back more pumped, healthy, and stronger than ever. I hope Love can avoid injuries for the rest of the season and be luckier than his fellow draftees who have already had to deal with them.