Pete Dougherty and Dominique Yates evaluate the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Eagles
Pete Dougherty and Dominique Yates summarize the Green Bay Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.
According to national media reports, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love suffered a medial ligament injury in his left knee towards the end of his team’s 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener on Friday night in São Paulo, Brazil.
Love and the Packers are back in Green Bay, where he is expected to undergo further testing.
If Jordan Love is out for a few weeks, what options do the Packers have?
In his Friday night column, Pete Dougherty suggested that the Packers could use newly acquired No. 2 quarterback Malik Willis or practice quarterback Sean Clifford in the short term.
Willis replaced Love when he went down late in Friday’s game, so the Packers were happy with him as their only backup, at least in Week 1.
The Packers traded a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans for Willis, a third-year player selected in the third round of the 2022 draft.
Willis started three games for the Titans in two years and finished 1-2, completing 31 of 61 passes for 276 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Willis played better in the preseason this year, completing 20 of 27 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns with one interception
However, Clifford was the No. 2 quarterback last year as a rookie. He played in two games and completed his only pass attempt for 37 yards. During training camp, Clifford beat out rookie Michael Pratt, who was selected in the seventh round of the draft and released.
If Jordan Love is out for more than a few weeks, what options do the Packers have?
If it’s not a season-ending injury, as reported, the Packers may not be forced to look for costly alternatives, but an absence of half a season or more could necessitate investing in a starting lineup-quality quarterback.
In his column, Dougherty suggested 36-year-old veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill as someone Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst should contact.
Tannehill, who has been in the league for 11 years, spent the last five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he started 63 games and posted a passer rating of 97.8. He lost his starting spot to Will Levis last season and is likely waiting for a longer-term starting spot.
He has not yet signed a contract, so signing him would not cost the Packers a player or a draft pick.
What is an inner ligament injury?
The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a band of tissue that provides stability to the knee joint, according to the National Institutes of Health. There are three levels of severity, depending on how large the opening is in the joint.
How long is a player likely to be out due to an MCL injury?
Patients with first-degree injuries can usually return to play within 10 to 14 days, while for patients with second-degree injuries the time to return may vary.
What is the Packers’ schedule?
Week 1: September 6: Philadelphia 34, Green Bay 29 (in Brazil)
Week 2: September 15: against Indianapolis, 12:00 p.m.
Week 3: Sept. 22: in Tennessee, 12:00 p.m.
Week 4: September 29: against Minnesota, 12:00 p.m.
Week 5: October 6: at Los Angeles Rams, 3:25 p.m.
Week 6: Oct. 13: vs. Arizona, 12:00 p.m.
Week 7: Oct. 20: vs. Houston, 12:00 p.m.
Week 8: Oct. 27: in Jacksonville, 12:00 p.m.
Week 9: Nov. 3: vs. Detroit, 3:25 p.m
Week 10: Bye week
Week 11: November 17: in Chicago, 12:00 p.m.
Week 12: November 24: against San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.
Week 13: November 28: vs. Miami (Thanksgiving), 7:20 p.m
Week 14: Dec. 5: in Detroit, 7:15 p.m.
Week 15: December 15: in Seattle, 7:20 p.m.
Week 16: December 23: vs. New Orleans, 7:15 p.m.
Week 17: Dec. 29: in Minnesota, 12 noon
Week 18: January 4 or 5: against Chicago, time to be announced
