Matt LaFleur shares two key quarterback updates for the Packers, but one question remains
Clayton Tune will be the ninth quarterback to start for the Packers since 1992.
The Green Bay Packers will obviously look very different on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that third-string quarterback Clayton Tune will start in Week 18, and the idea is to rest starter Jordan Love and backup Malik Willis.
Jordan Love has cleared the concussion protocol
After missing the Baltimore Ravens game with a concussion suffered versus the Chicago Bears, Jordan Love was able to practice at full capacity on Wednesday, and now he’s been cleared from the concussion protocol. That means he’s available to play.
However, this is a meaningless game for the Packers, so LaFleur indicated that the plan is for Love to be inactive on Sunday.
Malik Willis is dealing with a right shoulder injury and an illness, so his availability for Week 18 is a question mark. Nonetheless, the Packers have decided to start Clayton Tune, as he was promoted from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on Wednesday.
One question remains
Tune will start, Love won’t play. However, Matt LaFleur said the coaching staff will still figure out who will be QB2 on Sunday. If Willis is healthy enough, it’s possible that he will be active as a backup and emergency option.
But it’s also possible that the Packers elevate recently-signed quarterback Desmond Ridder from the practice squad for gameday to serve as the backup.
LaFleur hasn’t revealed which players will or won’t play on Sunday, but the expectation is that the Packers will sit most of their key players. And the idea of starting Clayton Tune reinforces that possibility.
Tune becomes the ninth quarterback to start a game for the Packers since 1992, after Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, Seneca Wallace, Scott Tolzien, Brett Hundley, Jordan Love, and Malik Willis.
The Packers have already secured the seventh seed in the NFC, and Week 18 is just a matter of staying healthy and waiting for the opponent between the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles to play in the wild card round.
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