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Packers now have 2 hurting QBs

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis runs with the ball against the Bears on Saturday in Chicago. (AP photo)

Jordan Love isn’t the only Green Bay quarterback dealing with a health issue as the Packers attempt to regroup from a brutal 22-16 overtime loss in Chicago that dealt a major blow to their hopes of winning the NFC North.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday that Malik Willis hurt his shoulder while playing the majority of the game in place of Love, who’s in concussion protocol after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Austin Booker in the second quarter of Saturday night’s game.

“I’d say he’s pretty sore,” LaFleur said of Willis. “That’s a legitimate deal that he’s dealing with, and he’s going to be another guy that we’ll see where he’s at as we progress.”

The Packers (9-5-1) remain unsure about Love’s potential availability for their home game Saturday with the Baltimore Ravens.

“That’s always a tough one to navigate,” LaFleur said. “There’s a lot of steps to getting through that. But I do think just my conversations with people, I have not specifically talked to him today, but it sounded like he was doing better.”

Green Bay’s only other quarterback is Clayton Tune, who was signed to the practice squad in late August. Tune played 13 games and made one start with the Arizona Cardinals from 2023-24, and he went 14 of 23 for 70 yards with two interceptions and no touchdown passes.

LaFleur said running back Josh Jacobs and wide receiver Jayden Reed would be the Packers’ two emergency quarterbacks.

Green Bay’s injury issues at the quarterback position and elsewhere come at an inopportune time.

After blowing a 10-point lead in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and losing in overtime Saturday, the Packers are 1 1/2 games behind Chicago in the NFC North race with two weeks left in the season.

If the season ended today, the Packers would end up with the NFC’s seventh and final playoff seed for a third straight year. That’s not what the Packers were expecting when they made the blockbuster trade just before the season to acquire superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons, who’s out for the season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in a 34-26 loss at Denver that started Green Bay’s two-game skid.

Green Bay did get some good news Sunday when former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 29-24 victory at Detroit. The Lions’ loss means the Packers can clinch a playoff berth by winning just one of their final two games.

What’s working

Green Bay controlled possession for nearly 39 minutes in a game that lasted just over 65 minutes. The Packers had a season-high 192 yards rushing, their sixth straight game with at least 115 yards on the ground.

In their first full game without Parsons, the Packers kept the Bears out of the end zone for the first 59 1/2 minutes of the game.

What needs help

Green Bay reached the red zone on five occasions and failed to convert any of those opportunities into touchdowns. The Packers also blew a 10-point lead one week after squandering a nine-point, second-half advantage in a 34-26 loss at Denver. The Packers have been outscored 44-20 after halftime over their last two games.

A team that has occasionally been prone to special teams breakdowns had its worst mistake of the season when Romeo Doubs was unable to hang on to an onside kick, setting the Bears up for their tying touchdown in the last minute of regulation.

Without Parsons on the field, the Packers failed to produce a single sack for a second straight game.

Stock up

Willis. He again showed he’s one of the NFL’s most reliable backup quarterbacks. Willis, who went 2-0 as a starter last season, played the majority of this game and guided a ball-control offense that had the Packers in position to win for most of the night even as they struggled to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns.

Injuries

The Packers have a major lack of depth at tight end after John FitzPatrick injured his Achilles tendon in a game that Josh Whyle didn’t play due to a concussion. Green Bay already is missing Tucker Kraft, who was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season before tearing his ACL last month.

RT Zach Tom and S Evan Williams didn’t play due to knee injuries.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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