Trouble Already Brewing for Packers
At least for a while, the Green Bay Packers must navigate an injury to their most important player.
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with an early injury setback from the preseason, raising questions just weeks before the start of the 2025 NFL season.
He’s Jordan Love, and the sixth-year quarterback has a left thumb problem, with the regular season slightly over three weeks away.
Packers Announce Injury for Jordan Love
Love has the rest of the month to heal in time for the regular season.
Jordan Love on Deck for “Little Procedure”
Minnesota Vikings fans have encountered news and verbiage similar to the budding Love matter, most notably in 2020 when EDGE rusher Danielle Hunter battled a “neck tweak” that rapidly morphed into a season-ending injury.
While Love may not experience the same fate, the Packers QB1 will, indeed, have a procedure to fix his non-throwing-hand thumb.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday, “Packers QB Jordan Love, who is undergoing a procedure on a ligament issue with his left thumb, suffered the injury in Green Bay’s preseason opener. The team is hoping Love can return to practice next week, and the Packers expect him to be ready for the regular-season opener.”
Schefter even provided some in-tweet damage control. A nice touch.
Small Injuries Sometimes Spiral
Love could recover just fine, and the thumb procedure may be much ado about nothing. However, as of August 12th, it’s something.
For context, imagine if Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a bad thumb and underwent a small procedure to fix it, with the regular season afoot. Fans might lose their minds. That’s where the Packers are at right now, merely hoping that the “little procedure” description is accurate.
Love has also battled nagging injuries over the last year, heightening the current concern.
Contingency Plan for Love
What would happen if Love missed time in 2025? Well, Green Bay would turn to Malik Willis once again, a man prominently known by fans because of his 2022 draft fame and commendable performance in 2024.
Love missed two games last year, and Willis, once left for dead by the Tennessee Titans, filled in admirably, though the Packers conducted a rather run-happy offense.
Green Bay also employs quarterback Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma on the current depth chart.
Expectations for the Packers in 2025
The cheese team lives in a typical post-Aaron Rodgers spot via Super Bowl odds in 2025, forecasted by sportsbooks as the seventh likeliest team to win the chip this season, also known as a +2000 moneyline. The Packers share the +2000 gambling space with the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Rams.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is a couple of notches below Green Bay, Washington, and Los Angeles at +2220, the 10th likeliest franchise to win it all. The Denver Broncos have a +2200 moneyline, as well.
But those fancy odds for Green Bay are propped up by Love. He’ll need to be healthy for Minnesota’s rival to have a shot at the Promised Land.
CBS Sports on Love
CBS Sports‘ Robby Kalland level-set Love’s budding situation on Tuesday.
He explained, “Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that Love had a ligament issue in his left thumb, which was why it was taped for Monday’s practice, and the team hopes Love returns to practice next week. All signs point to Love being ready for the start of the season on Sept. 7.”
“With the injury happening this early in training camp, the Packers and Love aim for a complete fix with the procedure now so it doesn’t become a lingering issue throughout the year. With it being an injury to his non-throwing hand, the concern with a left thumb ligament injury would be less about the passing game and more about ball-handling in the run and play-action game and ball security.”
The Packers’ first game of the regular season is 26 days away, hosting the Detroit Lions on September 7th.
Kalland continued, “Love being healthy and at his best is critical for the Packers to reach their goals of being a contender in the NFC this season. He’s had back-to-back terrific regular seasons, but will be looking to bounce back from a rough performance against the Eagles in the Wild Card round this past January, as he threw three interceptions in a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions.”
“The Packers hope that it can serve as a learning experience for Love as he continues his growth as a quarterback, still having started just 32 games even as he goes into his fifth year in Green Bay. Even with a minor setback with this thumb injury in camp, Love isn’t expected to miss any time as the Packers host one of their chief NFC North rivals, the Lions, in Week 1.”
The Vikings play the Packers a few days before Thanksgiving on November 23rd at Lambeau Field. The clubs also meet to end the season in Week 18 at U.S. Bank Stadium in a game that could be for all the marbles per playoff entry.
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