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Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The groin injury that Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love sustained in the win Sunday over the Jacksonville Jaguars is not expected to keep him sidelined long term, a source told ESPN.
Tests on Monday did not show any significant damage, and it is considered a strain. A source said his availability for Sunday’s NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions will be about how he feels and progresses throughout the week.
If the Packers (6-2) don’t have Love on Sunday against the Lions (6-1), there’s a good chance it will be the only game he misses because Green Bay has its bye the following week.
Malik Willis, who replaced Love on Sunday, would start against the Lions if Love is out.
While Packers coach Matt LaFleur did not provide any additional update on Love’s status Monday, he said his quarterback seemed “in good spirits.”
“Yeah, if he can go, he’ll go,” LaFleur said. “So, we’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week. But if we feel like he can’t protect himself, then we certainly wouldn’t put him in that position.”
Meanwhile, tests on cornerback Jaire Alexander‘s knee also did not show any significant concerns, a source told ESPN. Nothing has been decided about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Lions, but the Packers will monitor his soreness throughout the week. Alexander was injured on Green Bay’s final defensive play of Sunday’s win. He appeared to be unable to put any weight on his right leg as he hopped off the field.
Love, who sustained his injury on the game’s opening drive, finished the first half but then, after taking the first snap of the third quarter, limped to the sideline and did not return.
The Packers never ruled him out, but he spent the rest of the game on the sideline. Love, who threw his ninth interception of the season two series after the first sign of the groin injury, did not speak with reporters after the game.