The Green Bay Packers need one more win to clinch a playoff berth. They can accomplish this Saturday night when they host the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field. But Matt LaFleur and the Packers cannot be certain who will be available at quarterback on Saturday as both starter Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis are dealing with injuries that may keep them out of the lineup against the Ravens. As of now, the Packers quarterback situation for Saturday remains uncertain.
Packers Have Big Questions at Quarterback: The Starter
Both Packers quarterbacks suffered injuries in the Packers overtime loss to the Bears. Love suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the game on a helmet to helmet hit by Austin Booker. He did not return and is now in concussion protocol.
In order to play on Saturday against the Ravens, Love will have to clear concussion protocol. That involves passing an independent neurological exam which indicates he is no longer suffering from the head injury.
Unfortunately, concussions are tricky things. Sometimes, they clear up in a day or two and sometimes the symptoms can linger for weeks or even longer.
LaFleur addressed the uncertainty surrounding concussions during his Sunday press conference. “I would say, yeah, you might have an educated guess, but in terms of [the concussion protocol], that’s always a tough one to navigate,” LaFleur told reporters. “There’s a lot of steps to getting through that. But I do think just my conversations with people – I have not specifically talked to him today – but it sounded like he was doing better.”
The Backup
Willis replaced Love and played well. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. That gave him a quarterback rating of 142.8. Willis also has the ability to run with the football. He gained 44 yards in 10 carries against the Bears.
Unfortunately, Willis also suffered an injury against the Bears. He was sacked on the final play of the fourth quarter and injured his throwing shoulder on the play.
Willis did manage to return to the game for overtime, but it was clear that he was not 100 percent. He completed only one long pass in the overtime session, a 31-yard strike to Jayden Reed. But the ball was clearly not a tight spiral, and the injury appeared to impact his ability to throw the ball.
After the game, LaFleur described Willis as being “pretty sore.”
Depending on the severity and nature of the injury, this could impact both Willis’ ability to throw the football and his ability to run with it.
Packers Have Big Questions at Quarterback: The Emergency Options
The Packers obviously hope they have Love and Willis available on Saturday night. At the very least, the team hopes one of them is healthy enough to play and play effectively against Baltimore.
The Pack has one quarterback on their practice squad. That is Clayton Tune who they signed before the start of the regular season. The Cardinals selected Tune in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He started one game for Arizona as a rookie. For his career, the former University of Houston star completed 14-of-23 passes for 70 yards. He threw a pair of interceptions but has yet to throw a touchdown pass.
Tune has yet to play for the Packers. In fact, he has not been elevated for any games thus far. Is he ready to step in and play for the Pack on Saturday if necessary?
If the Packers needed an emergency quarterback within a game, the next two players would be running back Josh Jacobs and Reed. Jacobs has been playing despite a knee injury that limited his effectiveness against the Bears.
The Packers need one more win or one more loss by the Lions to clinch a playoff berth. They can still win the NFC North if they win their last two games and the Bears lose their final two contests. But the immediate issue is whether either Love or Willis will be healthy enough to play against the Ravens. We may not know for sure until just before kickoff.
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