GREEN BAY – Head Coach Matt LaFleur didn't have an update Monday on Packers quarterback Jordan Love's groin injury, except to say the team will see how Love's doing by the end of the week to decide on his playing status next Sunday vs. Detroit.
"I have no idea," LaFleur said regarding the severity of Love's injury, explaining he would be talking with the medical staff shortly after his press conference. "He seemed in good spirits.
"If he can go, he'll go. But if we feel like he can't protect himself, then we certainly wouldn't put him in that position."
Love got hurt on Green Bay's first possession of Sunday's game in Jacksonville, when he rolled to his right and tried a short throw back across the middle to running back Josh Jacobs.
He dealt with the pain and discomfort the rest of the first half but then came out on the opening drive of the third quarter, after throwing for 196 yards with an interception.
"It was a pretty gutty performance," LaFleur said. "He was definitely hurting, his ability to move, to really drive the football … I just thought it was a tough, gritty performance."
Unfortunately, that's not the only injury the Packers (6-2) are dealing with as the NFC North-leading Lions (6-1) get set to come to Lambeau Field.
Jacobs, who rushed for 127 yards and two TDs on 25 carries, came out at the very end of the Jacksonville game and was limping a bit, but LaFleur had said he actually wanted to go back in.
Rookie safety Evan Williams left the Sunday in the first half with a hamstring injury, and All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander appeared to hurt himself on the Jaguars' game-tying TD pass with just under two minutes left.
Again, there was no update on their status, but LaFleur acknowledged the defense would be in a tough spot against the high-powered Lions if either or both defensive backs can't play.
"It definitely affects things," he said. "You're talking about two of our starters, guys that have played really good football for us. I think when Evan went out, that set off a chain reaction in the back end."
After three consecutive promising games defensively and a strong start Sunday, the Packers had numerous breakdowns as the game wore on against the Jaguars. QB Trevor Lawrence completed eight passes of 20 yards or more as he threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, posting a 104.7 passer rating.
LaFleur said the lapses ran the gamut, from technique errors to a blown coverage to missed tackles that allowed short completions to rupture.
"They were hitting checkdowns into cover-2, which usually that's what you're enticing the offense to throw, and it's catch-tackle," LaFleur said. "And they were going for 20-plus yards.
"We've got to tackle better, we've got to communicate better, we've got to execute better, just the techniques we're asking our guys to do out there."
It's a vital week to get it all shored up, as the Lions bring a five-game winning streak against the Packers' four-gamer into the Week 9 matchup. Detroit has averaged 43 points per game over its last four contests, scoring a season-high 52 on Sunday in a blowout of the Titans at Ford Field.
"They're really, really good, and we knew that," LaFleur said. "We knew that going into the year, and it's not shocking to me. It's a team we're obviously very familiar with and we're going to have to play at our best. And it all starts with the preparation. We're going to have to have a great week of practice."
