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Rob Demovsky, ESPN editor-in-chief
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Twelve days after suffering a left knee injury in the season opener, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love returned to the practice field and left open the possibility of playing Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Love missed just one game — Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, when Malik Willis started at quarterback — after early indications were he could miss up to a month with a medial collateral ligament sprain.
Love wore a protective brace covered by a sleeve that extended nearly the entire length of his leg and was officially a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. Coach Matt LaFleur did not specify whether Love participated in only select exercises or all exercises under a rep count.
In addition to still needing medical clearance, Love will need to be mobile enough to protect himself from injury to play Sunday.
“The coaches see everything I do and they’re not going to put me on the field unless they know I can protect myself,” Love said Wednesday. “But at the same time, that’s why it’s good to get some practice reps and get that feeling of what it’s like.”
Love acknowledged that not everything can be simulated in practice.
“There’s nothing like being in the middle of a game with live ammunition, being in the game and getting a real thrill,” Love said. “So there’s a lot of things I might not experience until I get back in the game.”
Willis said he was impressed with Love’s recovery.
“You can tell he’s getting more comfortable moving around the stadium, like he did today,” Willis said. “I wouldn’t be surprised (if Love plays). I just have to stay ready and focus on what I can control (and) leave that up to him and coach LaFleur.”
Meanwhile, LaFleur has been tasked with trying to give Willis enough work in practice so he can use the playbook more than he did in Sunday’s win over the Colts, when the Packers threw just 14 times and ran 53.
“It’s always a challenge, and so throughout the week, hopefully you’ll get a better indication and that will lead to some of the decisions you have to make,” LaFleur said of preparing two quarterbacks.
Willis doesn’t view Sunday’s game as a revenge game after the Titans traded him to the Packers for a seventh-round pick on Aug. 26. The 2022 third-round pick started three games for Tennessee, going 1-2.
“No, I don’t care, man,” Willis said. “I think I got paid the whole time I was there. I’m beyond blessed with the opportunities I was given. They brought me to this league whether those guys were here or not. This organization, they took a chance on me. … They did a great job with me.”
