Jordan Love injury update: Matt LaFleur officially names Malik Willis as starting QB
Malik Willis is expected to start under center for Green Bay in Week 2 if Jordan Love isn’t cleared, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur revealed.
Love sprained his MCL during the Packers season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. No ACL damage was found and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks of action, leading way for the former Tennessee Titans QB to make the first start of his tenure with Green Bay.
“If Jordan is not cleared, then we’ll start Malik, and Sean [Clifford] will be the backup,” LaFleur said after practice on Monday. Love was not placed on the team’s injured reserve, meaning there could be optimism for an early return.
Love was injured on one of the final plays of the Packers’ 34-29 loss to the Eagles. He knee appeared to buckle after a hit, and had to be helped off the field after being tended to on the field by athletic training staff.
Before going down with the injury, Love completed 17 of his 34 passes for 260 yards, while tossing in two touchdowns with one interception. He didn’t look quite himself for most of the night accuracy wise, and he had trainers working on his calf in the second half.
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For Willis, he is entering his third season in the NFL after being a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Liberty. Tennessee did give him an opportunity to play as a rookie, playing in eight games and starting three of them. Just one win came from the starts.
Eleven total games are on Willis’ resume, throwing for 350 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. There was some success on the ground as a dual-threat guy, rushing for 144 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. He was traded to the Packers during the offseason after the Titans decided that Will Levis would be their QB1 moving forward.
The Packers will host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET live on FOX.