Jordan Love was the league’s highest-paid player coming into the 2024-25 season, considering he started all 17 games last season and went 6-2 in the final eight games with 18 touchdowns and only one interception to lead the Cheeseheads to the playoffs. On Friday, in the waning moments of Packers‘ regular-season-opening game, with only six seconds remaining on the clock, the inevitable happened: A 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, yes. But a hurt Love with his left leg buckled under a swarm of defenders.

Love was attempting to pass a Hail Mary but all he could muster was hitting the ground and writhing in pain until until team doctor Pat McKenzie and trainer Nate Weir reached the site. He was assisted outside the field and into the sidelines with a visible limp. Head coach Matt LaFleur’s postgame frustration was palpable. When pressed about Love’s condition, he could only muster a terse “I don’t know.” The uncertainty in his voice spoke volumes.

Love’s night ended with a mixed bag: 17 completions on 34 attempts, 260 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. But it’s the final stat – one apparent leg injury – that has Green Bay holding its breath. This wasn’t how the post-Rodgers era was supposed to begin. Dr. Deepak Chona, a sports medicine analyst, didn’t mince words on social media: “Video concerning for both high ankle and ACL/MCL. The knee does look like it buckles but the ankle took the direct hit. Fingers crossed for good news.”

According to DPT, Dr. Evan Jeffries, Jordan Love’s injury “Looks to be a high ankle sprain and needs to rule out lower leg fracture.” Another DPT, Jeff Mueller, raised a similar concern “for Left MCL sprain and/or high ankle sprain.” After watching the final few moments of Love being hit, Mueller highlighted that Love is “hobbling on the sideline but didn’t have trainers working on him on the bench.” Some are also hoping that “Love’s ankle isn’t broken.”

Jalen Hurts, the fifth-year QB for the Eagles, didn’t head rush to the locker room as celebrations awaited him. He was saving a classy handshake and a warm hug to wish Love well. Love was seated unassisted on a bench on the sidelines. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce posted on social media after the game, “Hopefully Jordan Love is okay, love watching him play.”

Has there been an update? As the dust has settled down after the game, NFL insider Dianna Russini has provided a crucial update on Jordon Love. According to Russini, the possibility of a damaging ankle injury has been ruled out. However, Love will undergo an MRI test once the Green and the Gold return to US soil. It will be a crucial step that will decide whether the QB can return for Packers’ clash against the Colts on September 15.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Love had just inked a four-year, $220 million extension in July, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history. This mammoth deal came on the heels of a breakout 2023 season, where he threw for 4,159 yards and 32 touchdowns. His Wild Card performance against the Dallas Cowboys – 16 of 21 for 272 yards and three touchdowns – had Packers fans dreaming of Super Bowls to come. Now, those dreams hang by a thread.

Can Malik Willis be the potential savior?

As the Packers anxiously await news on Love, all eyes turn to their backup quarterback, Malik Willis. Acquired just days before the season opener in a trade with the Tennessee Titans, Willis now finds himself potentially thrust into the spotlight. More so, in today’s game against the Eagles, Willis got his first taste of action as a Packer. Thrust into the fire for the final two plays after Love left the gridiron, he was promptly sacked by Zack Baun. Not the most auspicious debut, but hardly a fair assessment of his capabilities.

Willis’s NFL journey has been anything but smooth. A third-round pick in 2022, he struggled to find his footing in Tennessee. In 11 appearances over two seasons, he completed just 35 of 66 passes for 350 yards, with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Not exactly the stat line you’d want from your potential starter.

But there’s a glimmer of hope. This preseason, Willis showed flashes of the potential that made him a highly-touted draft prospect. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. More impressively, he led the Titans in rushing with 101 yards on just 11 carries.

“It’s like transferring schools but they have a test when you come in and they’ve been studying certain material,” Willis said about joining the Packers in August. “I’ve been studying material – it’s NFL football – but it’s different terminology and a different system.” If Love’s injury proves serious, Willis will need to be in for a quick study.

The Packers’ carefully laid plans for a smooth transition from the Rodgers era now hang in the balance. Can Willis, a quarterback looking for a second chance, steady the ship? Or will Green Bay be forced to look elsewhere, perhaps to practice squad QB Sean Clifford? As Packers fans nervously await updates on their $220 million man, one thing is clear: the 2024 season has already thrown them a massive curveball. How they respond could define the franchise for years to come.