NFL Insider tells Packers fans how to tell if Jordan Love really has a chance to play this weekend

The Green Bay Packers entered the 2024 season with high expectations for quarterback Jordan Love.

After patiently spending the first three years of his career on the bench, Love nearly led the Packers to an NFC Championship Game in his first year as the starting quarterback. During the offseason, Green Bay rewarded Love with a four-year, $220 million contract extension.

Green Bay's season didn't begin exactly how they hoped. The Packers suffered a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. The Packers nearly lost more than just the game while desperately searching for a game-winning score in the final second. Love suffered a sprained MCL after getting twisted awkwardly by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, and he has been sidelined ever since.

Packers practice might determine if Jordan Love will play in Week 4

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport discussed Love's chances of playing in Week 4 on "The Insiders" podcast on Wednesday.

"My sense is that Jordan Love has a very, very real shot to play this week," Rapoport said. "Not saying it's definitely going to happen. He's got to get through the week. He's got to get through unscathed. He's got to go through a full week of practice, and we will see if maybe on Friday, he is a full participant. Often, that has been the way you can tell if the guy who is coming back from injury is really going to play, is he a full participant?"

Love's availability will likely be determined by his participation in practice on Friday. Typically, players returning from injury need to log full participation in practice before teams allow them to return the field.

"You talk about that timeline, about three weeks was the best case scenario for Jordan Love," Rapoport said. "Right at Sunday's game, it is going to be three weeks. That does not mean he is fully healthy. He's probably only going to be fully healthy in Week 5 or maybe [Week] 6. The fact that he can go out there and play is a little bit of a different story. He can put on a brace, he can go play, he can protect himself, he can be functional. Jordan Love wants to play."

Three weeks is fairly quick to return from an MCL sprain, but Love seems eager to return to the field in Week 4. The Packers are set to face the Minnesota Vikings in a divisional matchup that could play a significant role in determining which team wins the NFC North division. If the Packers lose to the undefeated Vikings, they'll be down by two games and Minnesota will own the tie-breaker.

Packers general manager wisely made the decision to acquire quarterback Malik Willis in a trade with the Tennessee Titans less than two weeks before the regular season. The trade was overlooked at the time, but it could ultimately prove to save Green Bay's season. Willis has started both games in Love's absence, and his stellar effort has helped the Packers secure their first two wins of the season.

Willis only threw the ball 14 times in the home opener against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, but a clean game allowed running back Josh Jacobs pile up 151 rushing yards en route to a 16-10 win. In Week 3, Willis received an opportunity for revenge against his former team, and he didn't waste it. He passed for 202 yards and one touchdown while adding 73 rushing yards and one score on six carries, which helped the Packers secure a 30-14 win over the Titans.

Although the backup quarterback has created a great underdog story, Green Bay will want their franchise quarterback back in the lineup as quickly as possible. Their current recipe of leaning on their running game and defense may not work as well against the Minnesota Vikings as it has against inferior opponents.

In his first full season as a starter, Love threw for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and led the Packers to a 9-8 record, which was enough to earn a playoff berth. The 25-year-old orchestrated an impressive victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round, and nearly managed to get past the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round. Love still has plenty of room for improvement, and he certainly has plenty left to prove.