Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love used the bye week to put his knee and groin injuries in the rearview mirror, and coach Matt LaFleur hopes a full week of practice leading up to games will be “beneficial” for the second-year starter’s stretch in 2024 .
Love suffered an MCL injury in his left knee in Week 1 and missed two games, then suffered a groin injury in Week 8 and missed practice before the Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions before the bye. The first half of the Packers’ season was marred by inconsistency on offense, which can at least partially be attributed to ongoing injury issues with the quarterback.
LaFleur believes Love – who was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice – will have better mobility and accuracy with his two good legs moving forward.
“When you have a restricted bottom half as a quarterback, it can have a large impact on your ability to move around the pocket and throw accurately. So it’ll be good to get him some practice where he’s fully fit,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “It’s a different thing, going back to the last match, he didn’t train all week. Confident that a full week of exercise and simply stacking those days will surely benefit him.
Love missed at least a month of practice this season due to injury. LaFleur hopes full and consistent availability at practice will take his quarterback from good to great by the end of 2024.
Love has completed 61.3 percent of his passes in seven starts this season, has thrown 10 interceptions and has only been sacked five times. The Packers passing game has left plenty of opportunities out of bounds with wrong throws or dropped passes, and Love’s slightly more exact efficiency could facilitate unlock consistency over the last eight games.
Additionally, moving around the pocket and extending plays was a immense part of Love’s rapid rise in the second half of last season. Once his knee and groin injuries heal or heal, Love may be more mobile.
Can Love and the Packers lithe up as they say goodbye? The first test will take place on Sunday in Chicago.
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media 🎙️ https://t.co/O3HPGhAF4q
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 13, 2024
