GREEN BAY – Packers quarterback Jordan Love feels good about his injured knee after playing one game on it, taking a couple of hits, and shaking off the rust that came from his down time and limited practice.
As the Packers get set to fly to Los Angeles for a Sunday matchup with the Rams, Love is in a better place with both his health and his play, and he's resumed taking all the 11-on-11 snaps in practice to install the game plan.
"It looks like he's just getting back in the groove," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said after Wednesday's non-padded workout. "Like I mentioned the other day, not that we want to throw 50-some odd times in a game, but I thought the more we threw, the better he got."
The 54 pass attempts in the loss to the Vikings may not have been the idea going in, but it might've benefited Love's comeback road in the bigger picture. He said he needed to regain the feel for the arm angles, route depths and other details that go into being precise and efficient, and cutting it loose in the second half after a rough first half helped in that regard.
He also came out fine physically despite a hit right on his injured left knee on a scramble up the middle.
"That was the big test going into the game, how I respond to getting hit," Love said. "So it definitely gives me more confidence. I know going into the game that it's football. I'm going to get hit at some point."
Speaking of hits, the one that injured receiver Christian Watson's ankle didn't turn out to be as bad as it looked. LaFleur confirmed the Packers don't plan to put Watson on injured reserve, which would require a minimum four-week absence. He's expected to be back sooner than that.
LaFleur confessed the team feels "lucky" there and added Watson is in "good spirits" as he moves forward with his recovery.
The Packers have plenty of receiver depth to withstand Watson's absence, with Bo Melton and Malik Heath ready to roll behind Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks.
Love felt bad about his throw, which was intercepted, putting Watson in a tough spot that got him injured, and he's relieved the news thus far has been better than expected.
"I'm glad it's just ankle and nothing too serious, so he'll be back," Love said. "It's that mindset – next man up. We've got a deep receiving room and a lot of those guys have had tons of reps and game experience, so I'm confident they'll be ready."
As Love looks to smooth out his game, his teammates are being pushed to do the same. Amongst penalties, dropped passes and missed assignments, the Packers have plenty of areas to sharpen.
The fact the Packers lead the league in explosive plays while also ranking in the top five in penalties illustrates the up-and-down nature of their game right now.
Even the offense's most productive players haven't been immune to miscues. Tight end Tucker Kraft, who has developed into a dominant run blocker in his second season, had six catches for 53 yards and a TD against Minnesota, but he also was flagged for holding and lost a fumble.
Nobody's perfect, and walking the fine line between reviewing what doesn't go right without dwelling on it and letting it carry over is every individual's challenge.
"You've just got to be real with yourself," Kraft said. "You can't go back in time. That's as real as it gets. You just have to learn from your mistakes, that's it."
That's the expectation.
"All our guys, we're just looking for more consistency across the board," LaFleur said. "How do you get that? It starts on a daily basis. It starts by how you come in each and every day, how you practice, how you prepare.
"We're going to have to continue to make improvements along every phase of the game."
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