GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love isn’t in the clear just yet ahead of Sunday’s playoff opener against the Eagles.

The Packers quarterback is still nursing an injury he suffered in last week’s game against the Bears when he fell the wrong way on his right elbow in the second quarter.

Love didn’t return to the game after losing feeling in his right hand, though head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that Love could’ve gone back in. Love said after the game there was still numbness in the outside of his right hand and his right pinky, though he said Wednesday that any numbness went away on Monday morning.

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Love was still limited in practice on Wednesday, not because of his hand but because of his right elbow that he said is still sore when he throws. LaFleur said Love did some throwing at practice, but not to his normal extent.

Love added that he’ll wait until later in the week to “cut loose.” Love didn’t wear any protection on his throwing arm during the first practice of the week but didn’t rule out doing so and seeing how it feels later on.

LaFleur said postgame last Sunday that he thinks Love will play in Philadelphia, while Love said postgame he felt confident about his chances to play. Asked Wednesday if he’s playing, Love said only, “We’ll see. Yeah. I’m hopeful.”

https://t.co/5AlI2pcUZu pic.twitter.com/imhBdV2wUp

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 8, 2025

Backup quarterback Malik Willis also suffered a right hand injury against the Bears, but he didn’t miss any snaps. Willis was also limited in practice and spoke with reporters in the locker room afterward, which is normally an indication there’s uncertainty surrounding who starts at quarterback.

There shouldn’t be much of that this week, even if Willis spoke, since it’s a playoff game and the Packers appear to be utilizing gamesmanship to what they hope is an advantage over the Eagles. Love may not be 100 percent when he plays Sunday, but the likelihood remains that he does play. Wide receiver Bo Melton seems to agree.

“We have enough reps banked up,” Melton said when asked about Love being limited in practice. “He gonna go and obviously we have a connection with him. We’ll be all right.”

The bigger questions on Green Bay’s injury report surround several key players on defense.

Rookie starting strong safety Evan Williams has missed the last three games with a quad injury suffered in a Saturday practice before the Packers’ Week 16 game against the Saints, but he returned to practice in a limited capacity for the first time since then. Linebacker Quay Walker, who injured his ankle in Week 15 against the Seahawks, did the same.

“They’re really good football players, so if they’re able to go, we’ll certainly have a plan for them,” LaFleur said. “And they’ve been working all along in terms of just staying sharp mentally. They always do a great job of standing back behind the play and, you know, doing what they can.”

Defensive end Brenton Cox Jr., who has been surprisingly productive the second half of the season but missed last Sunday’s game with a foot injury, also practiced in a limited capacity. Wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who missed Week 18 with an illness, was a full participant in practice.

Only safety Zayne Anderson (concussion suffered in Week 17), defensive tackle T.J. Slaton (unknown) and wide receiver Christian Watson (yet to be placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL) didn’t practice among players on the active roster.

Bo Melton: “Sometimes you can get lost in the sauce during the year and just not getting the reps you wanna get. But if you come to practice every day and you work hard, you don’t gotta worry about when your number’s called. You gonna be ready for it. I think that was the sauce.” pic.twitter.com/lxfIZ6Hp2m

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 8, 2025

The Packers might turn to Melton to compensate for the loss of Watson, who averaged 21.4 yards on 29 receptions this season. Melton is another third-year speedster who broke out late last season with the team’s first 100-yard receiving game of the year against the Vikings in Week 17. He also caught a touchdown in the divisional round against the 49ers and is no stranger to stepping up in big games, which he could be asked to do on Sunday after only catching eight passes this season.

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“I feel like sometimes, you can get lost in the sauce during the year, just not getting the reps you want to get,” Melton said. “But if you come to practice every day and you work hard, you don’t gotta worry about when your number is called. You’re gonna be ready for it. I think that was the sauce for guys. I think that was the sauce for guys like me and Leek (wide receiver Malik Heath) that didn’t get enough opportunities. But we have a lot of guys in the room, a lot of guys who can make plays and can’t get everybody the ball. I feel like when our time is called, we’re ready to show out and shine.”

The Eagles also are dealing with injury uncertainty at quarterback as Jalen Hurts has been working his way through the concussion protocol. Hurts practiced on Wednesday, according to The Athletic’s Eagles reporter Brooks Kubena.

(Photo: John Fisher / Getty Images)