When hasn't the guy that makes money,
not take his time coming back.?
Love is now a pampered athlete.
The doctors must say Go-
So forget the commitment.

I think Love has a better chance to read the defense if he’s cleared, but passes will need to be quick reads. I don’t want him waiting back there and getting pummeled all day. If that’s the plan let Willis use his legs.

If #10 is medically cleared, he plays. If not, #2 plays. It's not complicated.

An MCL is just one of those injuries, that hurts like hell initially, just feels wrong subsequently and then declines into almost being right for a while. Then it suddenly is but it takes little time to trust it. Who on earth knows where Love is on that spectrum?

If Love is not mobile, don’t play him. They blitz a lot and some mobility is important, but also, if he’s not mobile on an MCL, then he’s also at a heightened risk of reinjury as the heal isn’t complete. Thats really the only question for me, not who should start on paper. It’s not one LaFleur is going to answer until forced.

Let's make this simple. When you line up against another team, you put your best players on the field. Love is not only paid as such, he has an actual body of work to prove it. He also has shown it against this Vikings team. If he is healthy and medically cleared to play, then you consider nothing else, you play him. This isn't about caution or riding the hot hand. Is Love your best player? Is he healthy or even very close to healthy? Put him in. Otherwise this is pure silliness.

So the Packers should send the message we are afraid? you put your best on the field .

Great analysis Ken!! I'm with you.

Just imagine Love starts and his first half is not good, throwing a pick and being inaccurate in general on top of being a bit less mobile than normal. Pack is losing 21-3 at halftime. What does that do to the team's psyche? I can't imagine the second-guessing that will be going on. I would say start Wills and bring in Love if Willis struggles.

Nothing you can really do except trust the judgment of the organization on this one. You would obviously like to have Love's experience against this team, but if he lacks mobility and is going to be confined to quick passes, than Willis can give you both of these things. The last thing you want to see is Love getting re-injured and missing more time.

This is a silly suggestion. You don't dump your QB if he is cleared to play. Both of the QB'S need to be prepared however. The game will be tight and we need Lives experience to attack the defense. Willis has different skills like option runs. But if Live is cleared to play, then that is what must happen

At what point do you trust Love to return? In two weeks? Three? Five? As others have said, this is an organizational decision. The team and its doctors have shown they tend to be very careful about allowing an injured player back on the field. A good example was last year, when Jones was kept on the bench for quite a while so he would be fresh for the playoff push. But there is another problem. If you don't play Love, and he is indeed ready to play, you are already playing scared. The other team has already intimidated you before the game has begun. So the Vikes are second against the run? Tennessee are no slouches:

Tennessee is first in total defense as they only give up around 176 yards per game on average. They are also second in rush defense with a rate of 50.8 per game.2 days ago

Yet, the Packers handled them well. Do you trust the offensive line? Do you trust LaFleur? Do you trust Hafley? Do you trust the team to do the right thing? Because in the end, we can talk about what we'd do. But the decisions are not in our hands.

LeFleur has said Love has to be cleared medically to play. I think he gives GB the best chance to beat Min., but if he's not healthy enough to move around, you stay with Willis.
I watched Min. Vs Houston last week, and the refs called some back-breaking penalties on Houston. Lots of them negated big plays by the Texans.
By the time the calls evened out, Min. Was up by three scores.
The other thing that hurt them was they didn't have anyone who could cover Jefferson. So Jaire Alexander having a great game will be key to stopping Minnesota.

If Love is ready to play, he'll play. The rest is just nonsense.

I understand topics like this are great fodder for fans to posit a bunch of what-ifs and what could-be's. But let's get real.

On 12/31/23, Green Bay beat Minnesota 33-10. Against Brian Flore's defense Jordan Love went 24/33 for 256 yards and 3 TD's.

Jordan Love is QB1. If he is medically cleared to play, he will play. If not, he won't. This isn't complicated. It really isn't.

I agree with Ken Lass. Malik Willis can break the pocket and gain yardage with his feet. Minnesota has a great pass rush, but past that, what are their linebackers and secondary like? I was at last week's game against a formidable Titan defense, and with Malik's ability to move around and avoid the rush, he still could throw and connect with his receivers and, if not sure, took off and ran. What worries me about the Packers is the left side of the offensive line is still trying to figure it out. Walker is not pass-blocking like he's capable, and Jenkins is trying to help him out at the risk of getting himself in trouble. Another option is to substitute Malik and Love, where you give the Vikings something to think about every play. You've got a viable backup who's playing lights out. Get Love back 100%, not throwing him against the wolves when he's not as mobile and the offensive line is suspect.

Why not play both as to where which is thought needed most depending on situation until if not 100% for Love. Keep Vikings off balance.

Maybe those two wins were just flukes. Give Malik one more shot, win that game then watch his trade value go through the roof. Surely Gutey is thinking this, that his phone will be ringing off the hook... 1st round pick, all pro linebacker. GPG

I will commend Ken for providing a good take. I love articles that make me think. Times like this I am glad I am not Gute or MLF. This is a tough decision.

I stand by my take that the reason Love was not very effective in the first game is that he play only three plays in preseason. He needed more time to get ready. Now he has played one game and off for two games. I am not convinced he will be ready to play. I agree if Love is not 100% he should sit and be the back up. If he is 100% I would not be upset if Willis starts but I am sure Love will start. If they start Love I hope they are willing to pull him if things do not look good. We need to win this game.

If Love is healthy, you play him. I think it's that simple.

This is a way different game than the two Willis started. With Willis, the Packers beat a bad Indy defense and a Tennessee defense that looked good statistically, but built that on playing two poor-to-mediocre offensive teams (yes, the Jets are only just OK) and kept putting its defense in a hole through turnovers. If Willis plays, the Vikings have two games of film and will be looking to make his head swim with complex looks and disguised coverages.

THIS is a big game for the Packers' playoff and divisional hopes. The Indy and TN games were interconference games that--yes--play into overall record, but don't hit the tie-breaks. Lose this game and you're effectively 3 games behind the Vikings and a game back of the Lions (who SHOULD beat a very depleted Rams team this week) in the division. As much as I don't like to buy into hyperbole in September, this is a pretty big game....and I'd like to think the high-paid starter at 90% is still a better option than Willis at 100%.

Willis has turned out to be better than we expected and has answered the bell when called upon. I just don't think the Packers win this game at this stage of Willis' career starting--even at Lambeau--against the Vikings. I'm all in favor of flashing 2 QB sets and getting Willis some snaps where he could take a pitch and throw or maybe wildcat to give the Vikes some unscouted looks.

This will be a tight game. The Vikings have done a great job of stopping the run so far. Packers need to break that. Prediction:
If Love plays: Packers 31, Vikings 27
If Willis plays: Vikings 34, Packers 20

Play both.

Ligaments get very little blood supply and don'l heal as quickly as soft tissue.
Fans as well as Love (likely) want him out there for a pivotal game but we do not know the degree of the injury. There could have been a partial tear.

Protect Love long-term; if he shows signs of poor mobility-pull him. The Minnie D-line is no joke. Packers O-line will be under assault all day.

The season does not rest on this game, but the health of Love does decide the season. I'm perfectly willing to sit him another week and take the loss, if it comes, and give Love 13 games to get the job done and reach the goal. Three weeks was believed to be the minimum for this type of injury, let's give it those 3 weeks and not push it.

What an absurd basis to this column. It follows the old football axiom that everyone loves the back up quarterback, until he proves why he is the back up.

If Love is cleared to play, he should start. No question. I guess folks forget what he did last year that earned him his contract.

The Vikings have a really tough defense. Willis is not ready to face such pressure. If Love gets hurt again, well, he gets hurt. You never will get in a car crash if you sit at home, but you also would be a hermit without much of a life. Risk is a part of football and life in general.

What we can say is the Packers have solid depth at quarterback. If Love got hurt and Clifford had to play, well, that's the season.

I read a lot of stories about how fantastic Brian Flores' defense is. They don't mention how last year their defense fell apart over the last half of the season after Cousins got injured.

When they really needed their defense to step up, they fell apart.

In contrast, the Packers' defense has gotten better the last two weeks since Love got hurt.

Flores defense takes chances, so far this year it's worked. But LeFleur took it apart last season on new years eve. He'll have a good plan regardless if Love or Willis is out there.

Go Pack!