GREEN BAY – Packers quarterback Jordan Love is dealing with a sore throwing elbow, which limited him in Wednesday's practice.
Asked if he'll be playing Sunday at Philadelphia in the NFC Wild Card playoff, Love responded, "We'll see. Yeah, I'm hopeful."
The loss of feeling in Love's throwing hand, from when his elbow slammed the ground during last Sunday's game against the Bears, mostly returned by Monday, and he said he can grip the ball fine. But he's looking for the elbow to feel better before he's back to full-go in practice, hopefully by the end of the week.
He added there might also be a discussion about wearing padding or some kind of protection for the elbow, but he didn't wear anything Wednesday.
On the defensive side, the Packers saw two players return to the practice field on a limited basis in linebacker Quay Walker (ankle) and safety Evan Williams (quad), who have each missed the last three games. Their status for Sunday remains uncertain, but Head Coach Matt LaFleur noted they've been as engaged as possible while out.
One new addition to the injury report is defensive lineman T.J. Slaton, who did not practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury. His availability isn't certain, either, though LaFleur said he wouldn't demand Slaton need extensive practice reps in order to play. He would be a key cog in the defense's effort to slow down the NFL's leading rusher, Philly's Saquon Barkley.
The mixed bag in the health department isn't ideal heading into the postseason, especially after learning over the past several days that cornerback Jaire Alexander and receiver Christian Watson won't be playing this month due to knee injuries. But the Packers will push forward with their preparation, see where everyone is by the weekend, and go from there.
Regardless, there's no lack of confidence as the No. 7 seed hitting the road to play the No. 2 seed Eagles, who went 14-3 in the regular season.
"Everybody knows in this locker room that we're that team," Love said of the one that came an eyelash from reaching the NFC title game as the No. 7 seed a year ago. "I don't think there's a secret about that. I really think it's just blocking out all the outside noise, knowing who we have in this locker room.
"It's playoffs. It's zero-zero. Who cares about the record? And I really think we have to be confident. You can't go into the playoffs lacking that confidence because you'll get beat. We have one shot at this thing."
Last year's playoff success, including a blowout win at Dallas in the first round and then taking eventual NFC champion San Francisco to the wire the following week, feeds that confidence.
But in the same breath, Love emphasized the Packers "have to go out there and do it again" and "can't live on what we might've (done) last year against the Cowboys."
The offense was rolling during the second half of this season, scoring 30-plus points in five straight games, before hitting a lull the last two weeks that doesn't sit well with the stakes now the highest.
Love downplayed any concern about that, knowing what the offense is capable of and looking at the playoffs as a clean slate. He likes the way the Packers are running the ball, and he believes in the depth of the receiver room to compensate for the absence of Watson.
Getting into a rhythm early to keep everyone free and loose is his first objective.
"You got to be able to go out there and execute and take advantage of every play," he said. "You can't really have mess-ups and mistakes. There's no do-overs in the playoffs. I think this group understands that, and obviously we got some reps at that last year, but we've got to go out there and play our best ball."
Psychologically, the Packers handled the playoffs last year better than most expected for such a young team. LaFleur doesn't want to lose touch with that collective psyche, because it can serve them well again.
The underlying message is every team in the playoffs is good, including the Packers.
"I just think it's about, trying to not make the game bigger than what it is," LaFleur said. "Yes, it's a playoff game. We all understand that.
"Obviously, we know the margins are razor thin in this league, and you've got to be at your best when your best is required, and certainly against one of the premier football teams in this league."
