GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love is set to undergo a minor surgical procedure on his non-throwing hand Tuesday morning, general manager Brian Gutekunst revealed.
The Green Bay Packers' starting quarterback, who dealt with multiple lower-body injuries a season ago, will be sidelined for the next week with a torn ligament in his thumb. Gutekunst doesn't anticipate that the 26-year-old will miss the regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, but he will be shelved for a few practices as well as the next two exhibition contests.
Love won't play this Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts—a non-story considering the Packers' starters were unlikely to take the field anyway—and head coach Matt LaFleur calls it "highly unlikely" that he'll start the preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
Jordan Love giving a “thumbs up” before the preseason opener against the New York Jets. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
In this past weekend's demoralizing loss at the hands of the New York Jets, Love and the starters only played two offensive series. The thumb injury occurred on a third-down sack when Love was attempting to navigate and step up into a collapsing pocket, ultimately being dragged down by defensive tackle Jay Tufele. In the process, Love banged his thumb off of someone's helmet.
It was something that Love would've likely been able to play through. He participated in and fully completed Monday's practice, but not without some adjustments; he had to hand off the football with his right hand instead of his left. The Packers and Love both opted for surgery to ensure that this wasn't going to be a problem that lingers into the regular season.
"You guys saw him out there, he certainly was able to function," Gutekunst said. "As we looked at all of the options, and he did as well, the best option for him to get back the fastest and feel the best was to do this. I think he wanted to go out there [Monday] and see how it felt.
"Once we got through that, we made the decision and he should be back. He should meet with us in Indy on Wednesday."
Sans Love, it'll be Malik Willis leading the charge for the Packers' offense—a role that he's no stranger to playing. 19 days after arriving in Green Bay via trade from the Tennessee Titans last summer, Willis was called upon to start while Love was sidelined with a knee injury. He helped lead wins over the Colts—the Packers' opponent this weekend—and Titans, as well as orchestrated a second-half surge to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 27 when Love sustained a groin injury.
Willis, Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma will all have their fair share of snaps against the Colts as LaFleur implements another rotation under center.
"He came in last year and kind of hit the ground running and did a great job," said Gutekunst. "I think, where he sits now and having a full offseason with [Matt LaFleur] and his staff, he's certainly much further along. Not only in his play, but just how he affects the room as well. He's a really good addition to our quarterback room."
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com