Jordan Love will be the Packers’ backup QB on Sunday

Jordan Love will be the Packers’ backup QB on Sunday
Acme Packing Company Acme Packing Company

According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, starting quarterback Jordan Love will be active on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The team will try to keep Love off the field, but an injury to Clayton Tune would put Love, coming off a concussion, on the field against Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy unit.

Indeed, a source said, Love will be the backup to Tune on Sunday.

With backups throughout the lineup, it’s almost impossible to believe the Packers would risk Love against the blitz-happy Vikings if pressed into duty. If he had to play in case of emergency, the offense would probably be handoff up the middle, handoff left, handoff right.

On Friday, the typical starting backup quarterback, Malik Willis, was listed as questionable on the Packers’ injury report with both shoulder and hamstring designations. Green Bay called up Tune from the practice squad this week, but the Willis injury meant that either the Packers would have to bring in Love or Desmond Ridder, a mid-week practice squad signing, into Sunday’s action.

Ultimately, Ridder wasn’t one of the eight practice squad players who were called up to the Packers’ pool of 55 players to make up the team’s 48-man gameday roster in Week 18. In total, Green Bay had to make 21 roster moves just to limp into its regular-season finale, due to the vast amount of injuries that the team is facing. Just this week alone, the team placed six members of the 53-man roster on the injured reserve, which means that their only opportunity to return to the team will be if the Packers advance to the Super Bowl.

Hopefully, Green Bay stays healthy enough that their starters won’t have to be forced into the lineup due to injuries to players at the bottom of their roster, but at this point, it’s hard to count out a player dropping out of action in this injury-riddled season.

Along with Willis, receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion) was listed as doubtful for the game and right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee) was listed as questionable on the injury report. The Packers, even with practice-squad call-ups, can only scratch a maximum of seven players on Sunday, which also includes injured players. Below is the full roster breakdown in Week 18:

Quarterback

  • Jordan Love
  • Malik Willis (questionable – shoulder/hamstring)
  • Clayton Tune

Running Back

  • Josh Jacobs
  • Emanuel Wilson
  • Chris Brooks

Receiver

  • Romeo Doubs
  • Christian Watson
  • Jayden Reed
  • Dontayvion Wicks (doubtful – concussion)
  • Matthew Golden
  • Jakobie Keeney-James

Tight End

  • Luke Musgrave
  • Josh Whyle
  • Drake Dabney

Offensive Line

  • Rasheed Walker
  • Aaron Banks
  • Sean Rhyan
  • Anthony Belton
  • Zach Tom (questionable – back/knee)
  • Jordan Morgan
  • Darian Kinnard
  • Jacob Monk
  • Lecitus Smith

Defensive End

  • Rashan Gary
  • Kingsley Enagbare
  • Lukas Van Ness
  • Brenton Cox Jr.
  • Barryn Sorrell
  • Arron Mosby
  • Collin Oliver

Defensive Tackle ----------------...