Packers winners and losers from Week 1 Loss: Bad turf costs Jordan Love

Packers fans can be excused for assuming the worst when Jordan Love went down with a late-game knee injury in the team's Week 1 loss to the Eagles. Fortunately, Love avoided disaster and will only miss a month rather than the entire season. His short-term absence shifts a lot of responsibility on his teammates to keep their season afloat while he's on the sidelines.

Green Bay almost did enough to knock off Philadelphia in Brazil but they came up just short. That won't please head coach Matt LaFleur but it's also too early to sound the alarm bells at Lambeau Field. There were equal signs of encouragement and discouragement for players on the Packers roster.

Packers fans have equal reason for optimism and pessimism coming after the painful loss. Close attention should be paid to these players whose stock moved the most in Week 1.

Packers Loser No. 1: Jordan Love

It may be unfair to put Love in this category due to injury, but that's the truth of the modern NFL. Him being stuck on the sidelines for a month puts a major dent into Green Bay's chances of knocking off the Lions for the NFC North crown.

It's not as if Love was playing brilliant football before he succumbed to injury. He only completed half of his 34 passes on the night and also threw one interception. Love flashed brilliance but he didn't take the major step forward that many Packers fans were hoping for as he entered the season.

It is entirely too early to shovel dirt on Love's season but the combination of his injury and inconsistent play beforehand lands him the number one spot on this week's loser list for the Packers.

Loser No. 2: Luke Musgrave

The Packers spent a second-round pick on Musgrave last season with the idea that he could grow into a dynamic pass-catcher from his tight end position. The reality that he didn't catch a ball against Philadelphia and was only targeted twice makes it clear he isn't living up to expectations for Green Bay.

It is safe to assume that Musgrave's role will expand as the year rolls along, but he needed to get off to a better start. He lacks the physicality to impact the game as a run-blocker. Musgrave is not providing Green Bay with meaningful value unless he's racking up catches and receiving yards.

If Musgrave continues to languish behind Tucker Kraft on the depth chart it's a bad sign for the Packers' aerial attack. His Week 1 performance was not encouraging for fans looking to see him upgrade his production in his second professional season.

Winner No. 1: Josh Jacobs

The Packers spent a lot of money on Josh Jacobs in free agency to help upgrade their ground game. His production inside an ugly Raiders' offense last year was nothing to get excited about. Fortunately for Green Bay, he ran the ball much more efficiently in his first game with the franchise.

Sixteen carries for 84 yards is not the stuff of legend, but it represented a good day at the office for Jacobs. His yards per carry average was buoyed by one long 32-yard gain but he looked lively in the Packers' backfield. He may never be the superstar they want him to be, but there's a lot more optimism that he can play like an above-average starter after his work against Philadelphia's talented front seven.

Jacobs also gets extra points for catching two balls for 20 yards. He does not need to become a dynamic pass-catcher to make this offense go. Catching a few balls out of the flat and on screens should be more than enough to keep opposing defenses off balance.

The injury to Love will cause the Packers to run the ball more frequently in his absence. Jacobs can't afford to eat all of those carries, but he will continue to be the team's number-one option. Getting him over the century-yard mark on a weekly basis will be an integral part of LaFleur's offensive game plan. The Packers need Jacobs to up his game while Love is out to keep the team afloat.

Winner No. 2: Xavier McKinney

Sometimes it's challenging to identify defensive winners when the team gives up 34 points. Plenty of Packers deserve blame for giving up that many points, but safety Xavier McKinney did more than his part to try to stop the Eagles' talented attack.

A lot of his statics prowess comes from his one interception of Jalen Hurts but he was solid in the other aspects of his game as well. McKinney added three solid open-field tackles and his coverage was good enough to force the Eagles to throw away from him aside from one target on the night.

McKinney lacks the sort of elite athleticism to dominate games from the back end, but his steady play does a lot to free his teammates up to take more risks. Those risks should pay off more against less talented opponents. The Eagles had the weapons to victimize other Packer defensive backs in one-on-one situations in ways that other teams can not manage.

The Packers' defense made too many high-profile mistakes to win against a high-quality offense like the one the Eagles possess. McKinney's play was still a notable bright spot that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and his staff can build on. Green Bay would be more than happy to see McKinney reprise this performance on a weekly basis for the rest of the season.