Packers QB Jordan Love to undergo MRI on leg

The Packers dropped their season opener to the Eagles, but the team may have suffered an even more devastating loss. Jordan Love suffered an apparent leg injury during the final drive of Friday night’s game in Brazil.

After the game, a dejected Matt LaFleur had no updates about his quarterback’s condition. The Packers are scheduled to land back in Green Bay on Saturday afternoon, at which time they’ll presumably get more clarity on Love’s injury. Dianna Russini of The Athletic clarifies that Love will undergo an MRI later on Saturday, although an ankle injury has already been ruled out.

The injury occurred with five seconds remaining in the game as Love attempted a Hail Mary pass. Replays showed the quarterback’s knee pop as he was brought to the ground by Eagles defenders, and Love then remained on the ground while “writhing in pain,” per Lukas Weese and Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, the injury was reminiscent of Kirk Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles injury last year.

From a glass-half-full perspective, Weese and Schneidman note that Love could exit the Packers' locker room under his own power. The quarterback also didn’t have a noticeable limp.

Love, the centerpiece of Green Bay’s young core, was expected to take another step forward following his breakout 2023 campaign. The Packers are especially confident in their franchise quarterback, as the team handed him a four-year, $220M extension this offseason that featured a record $55M average annual value. If Love is forced to miss time, Malik Willis would likely take over as the starting quarterback. The Packers are also stashing Sean Clifford on the practice squad.

Center Josh Myers also suffered an injury on the same play as Love, with the lineman telling ESPN’s Rob Demovsky that “severe cramps” forced him to the sideline. The starter will presumably be all right moving forward. Still, the Packers showed their contingency plan on the final two plays by moving Elgton Jenkins to center (with Sean Rhyan taking over as left guard and Jordan Morgan taking over as right guard).