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After a head injury kept him out for most of the last two games, Jordan Love is now cleared ahead of the playoffs. However, the Green Bay Packers quarterback still will not start in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Love has been in concussion protocol since Week 16, when he hit his head on the turf and exited the game against the Chicago Bears. Head coach Matt LaFleur has since noted that he has been cleared, according to Matt Schneidman of ‘The Athletic.’
Love will still spend Week 18 on the sideline due to the Packers already clinching a Wild Card berth. The Packers will also rest Malik Willis, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and start Clayton Tune in their regular season finale.
A former fifth-round draft pick in 2023, Tune is set to make his second career start, and his first with the Packers. The Houston alum made one start in his rookie season for the Arizona Cardinals when Kyler Murray was still recovering from a torn ACL that ended his previous campaign.
LaFleur noted that Love will be available to play, but only if every other quarterback gets hurt, according to Schneidman. The Packers have also recently signed former Atlanta Falcons starter Desmond Ridder to their practice squad and could elevate him for Week 18.
Green Bay is committed to starting Tune, but LaFleur is still undecided on who will back him up. Willis is the leading candidate, but he remains questionable for the game with his lingering shoulder injury. Should he be ruled out, Ridder would likely be elevated to the active roster to back up Tune, with Love serving as the emergency third-string.
Regardless of what happens in Week 18, the Packers are likely locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. That would set them up for a trilogy with the Chicago Bears, against whom they are 1-1 in the regular season.
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