East Rutherford, NJ – November 16, 2025 – Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love’s Week 11 performance against the New York Giants was far from perfect, but it was effective enough to secure a much-needed 27-20 victory. Despite some struggles in the passing game, including multiple drops from his receivers, Love managed to throw for 174 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Packers bounce back after two straight losses.
However, the victory came at a cost for the Packers’ starting quarterback. In the first quarter, Love sustained a shoulder injury following a hit from Giants linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles after a four-yard scramble. The hit, which was clean but hard, sent Love immediately to the medical tent, raising concerns about his ability to finish the game.
Fortunately for Green Bay, backup quarterback Malik Willis stepped in and finished off the drive that Love started, capping it with a touchdown. Love was then cleared to return to action, but the shoulder injury lingered, affecting his performance throughout the remainder of the game.
In his post-game interview, Love provided some clarity on the injury. “Went in, got it evaluated and I figured it was good enough to come back, so I went back in. It was definitely not fun. Small injury, so we’ll re-evaluate it when we get back, look at it, see what’s going on. But it was not fun,” Love said.
While Love’s condition doesn’t seem to be a major concern at the moment, it will be evaluated further when the team returns to Green Bay. The left shoulder injury was a consistent issue for Love, but he managed to finish the game, completing 13 of 24 passes with no interceptions and a solid passer rating of 105.2.
Love did admit that he probably should have slid on the play that resulted in the injury, as he usually does to avoid hits. However, he praised Malik Willis for stepping up when needed. Willis, who started two games in 2024 after Love’s knee injury, showed poise under pressure, helping keep the offense moving when it was most needed.
Head coach Matt LaFleur also offered high praise for Willis’ performance, saying, “I can’t say enough great things about Malik. We don’t win that game without Malik. He’s a great competitor, and he is so calm… He made a lot of plays in the game.”
As the Packers prepare for their Week 12 matchup, the main question remains: How serious is Love’s shoulder injury? While he returned to the field on Sunday, the true extent of the injury will be determined in the coming days, and the Packers’ medical team will likely keep a close eye on Love’s recovery to ensure he’s ready for the next game.
If Love is unable to play, Malik Willis could once again be called into action to lead the Packers in Week 12. But for now, the team is hopeful that their starting quarterback will be back in time to continue their push for a playoff spot.
For the Packers, the end result of a 27-20 win over the Giants–no matter how unsightly the quality of play–is especially gratifying because of how close the season was to falling apart completely. That’s because, with 3:20 to play in the first quarter of the game, star quarterback Jordan Love took a particularly hard hit on a short run-scramble.
The hit came from Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles after a four-year jaunt, a play on which Love made no attempt to slide. It was a legal whack from Flannigan-Fowles but it was clear from the moment Love went down that he was injured. He scurried to the medical tent on the sideline, replaced by backup Malik Willis.
For coach Matt LaFleur, the good news is that Love is coping well now that the team is back in Green Bay. “He’s doing good. Obviously, he’s definitely sore,” LaFleur said.
Seeing Love take that kind of hit in service of a four-yard pickup, though, warranted a stern rebuke from LaFleur.
Here’s how the coach saw the play, which was essentially the equivalent of the Packers’ 2025 flashing before his eyes.
“I mean, that was a pretty big hit, one of those that you just say, ‘C’mon, man. You can’t put yourself in those situations,’” LaFleur said with a laugh.
Love, despite the injury, came back and led the Packers to a gritty victory. “I thought he played his (expletive) off yesterday, I really did,” LaFleur said. “I thought he was throwing accurately. He showed a ton of toughness in the pocket. I mean, there were multiple times he was getting hit pretty good in the pocket and he was making throws.
“I was really proud of his ability to come back in the game and just show that, not only physical toughness but the mental toughness to keep fighting.”
The question for LaFleur and other Packers coaches, though, was what the team should–and even could–do to rein in Love in those situations. It was clear that Love thought he had some room to break open a longer run on the play.
“It’s one of those deals where, things happen pretty quickly out there. I think he, as he was scrambling, he did a little pump fake and actually got the guy to leave his feet a little bit,” LaFleur said.
“I don’t know if he thought he is a little more elusive than what he really is, and thought he could get around him or not. Obviously, it didn’t work out. I do think it is a fine line in how you coach a guy in those situations because there is a lot more feel to it, because things happen so quickly.”
In Love’s place, of course, backup quarterback Malik Willis finished the Packers drive with a touchdown. Willis had not played since Week 3 of the 2024 season, but looked like he had gathered no moss.
Said LaFleur: “I can’t say enough great things about Malik. We don’t win that game without Malik. He’s a great competitor and he is so calm, I mean, just, he was in there on some critical situations. We had third downs, we called a zone read and he uses his legs, which was kind of—when your starting quarterback is out and you have your backup in there, and you call the zone read, you’re a little concerned about that because you can’t have anything happen to him.
“But he made a lot of plays in the game.