Packers fans will love Jordan Love’s Wild Card injury update

Originally posted on NFL on ClutchPoints

By Steve Silverman | Last updated Jan 9, 2025 7:52 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers enjoyed an excellent regular season but because they played in the brutally tough NFC North division, their 11-6 record was only good for third place and left them with the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff structure.

This appears to be a game where both teams should be able to move the ball consistently and put points on the board. The Packers got good news Thursday because quarterback Jordan Love (elbow) was upgraded to a full participant in the team’s practice session, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

Love is clearly the key to the Packers offense. He completed 268 of 425 passes for for 3,389 yards with 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

The Packers quarterback made a big name for himself last year in the postseason. He led the Packers to a 48-32 Wild Card victory on the road over the Dallas Cowboys as he completed 16 of 21 passes for 272 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Love nearly led the team to another victory in the divisional playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers, but they could not hold on to the lead and dropped a 24-21 decision. Love completed 21 of 34 passes for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

The Packers are facing the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles on the road, and that opponent is a team Green Bay faced earlier in the season — much earlier. The Packers and Eagles played in Week 1 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

That back-and-forth game went to the Eagles by a 34-29 margin as Saquon Barkley made his debut with Philadelphia and scored 3 touchdowns. The Packers will certainly be concerned with containing Barkley who had a spectacular season with 2,005 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.

Packers hoping to regain their stride

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws a pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Green Bay was one of the hottest teams in the league prior to dropping their last two games of the regular season to the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears. Before that game, the Packers had won 5 of 6 games, and they scored at least 30 points in each of those games.

While Love has demonstrated command of the offense, the Packers got a huge lift this year from running back Josh Jacobs. The former Raider had a brilliant first season in a Green Bay uniform as he carried the ball 301 times for 1,329 yards and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes for 342 yards and another score.

While those numbers are solid, the style he displayed added to the Packers strength. Jacobs is a power runner and once he gets past the line of scrimmage, he displayed the ability to run over linebackers and defensive backs. These plays gave the Green Bay offense added momentum and should make them very dangerous in the postseason.

This article first appeared on NFL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission