The Green Bay Packers are set to begin their NFL preseason campaign Thursday night when they travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Although the matchup does not count toward the regular-season standings, much of the attention will be on whether Packers quarterback Jordan Love gets onto the field in Pittsburgh.
Is Jordan Love playing tonight?
There is understandable caution surrounding Love after he suffered a thumb injury during Green Bay’s preseason opener last year.
That previous setback could make the Packers careful with their franchise quarterback, but it does not appear to have ruled him out of Thursday’s game.
The 27-year-old quarterback indicated Tuesday that he is prepared to take part in the preseason contest and will be ready to follow whatever workload head coach Matt LaFleur assigns him.
“Me and Matt [LaFleur] have talked, and I think the plan is to play some limited role this week and see how it goes going forward,” Love said.
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That suggests Love could see the field for a limited number of series or snaps as the Packers gradually get him prepared for the regular season.
What did Packers head coach say
LaFleur has also emphasized the importance of having his players mentally prepared for game action, regardless of how much playing time they ultimately receive.
He said it is important to be “mentally ready to go play a game, whether it’s one play, whether it’s three plays, 10 plays, the whole game.“
The Packers coach has previously stressed that preseason reps can help players transition from the controlled environment of practice to the intensity and unpredictability of actual games.
Love plans cautious preseason approach
Love appears to share that view, making it likely that Green Bay will give its starting quarterback at least some exposure against Pittsburgh while keeping his workload under control.
However, the Packers #10 acknowledged that his approach will be different from what it would be during a regular-season or playoff matchup. His primary focus will be on getting meaningful work without exposing himself to unnecessary contact.
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“The main thing is to stay healthy, obviously. Avoid taking hits. If you get into a scramble situation, definitely not take any hits outside the pocket, anything like that,” Love mentioned.
What happened to Love last preseason?
Love’s previous preseason experience did not go according to plan. During last year’s matchup against the New York Jets, the Packers quarterback suffered an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his thumb.
Fortunately, the injury affected his left, non-throwing hand, allowing him to recover in time and be available for Green Bay’s Week 1 game.
