GREEN BAY \u2014 Preseason football is, by nature, largely forgettable. The games don\u2019t count in the standings, and many of the snaps are played by guys who won\u2019t be on the team by training camp\u2019s end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But there are exceptions, of course \u2014 when a player does something spectacular to earn a roster spot at the 11th hour, or when a key player suffers a cataclysmic injury that alters the trajectory of the team\u2019s season.<\/p>\n
The Green Bay Packers have certainly had their unfair share of the latter over the years.<\/p>\n
In 1997, when they kicked off their Super Bowl XXXI title defense, running back Edgar Bennett ruptured his Achilles\u2019 in the preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins and was lost for the season. His backup, Dorsey Levens, went on to have a 1,805-yard, 12-touchdown season on a combined 382 total touches.<\/p>\n
In 1999, quarterback Brett Favre banged the thumb on his right (throwing) hand on Denver Broncos linebacker John Mobley\u2019s helmet during a preseason game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, and the injury bothered him the rest of the year. The Packers went 8-8 and Favre threw an NFL-worst 23 interceptions.<\/p>\n
And in 2015, coming off a gut-wrenching NFC Championship Game meltdown in Seattle seven months earlier and with Super Bowl aspirations, the Packers went to Pittsburgh and lost No. 1 wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.<\/p>\n
Even with quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming off his second NFL MVP season, the offense was never the same without Nelson, who\u2019d caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns during an All-Pro season in 2014.<\/p>\n
Nelson\u2019s injury also resulted in the organization\u2019s philosophical shift about preseason games, choosing a better-safe-than-sorry approach thereafter.<\/p>\n
It is with that historical backdrop in mind that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur announced Tuesday that he intends to play his starters \u2014 including quarterback Jordan Love \u2014 in Thursday\u2019s preseason opener against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will [play], as of right now,\u201d LaFleur said. \u201cI always have the right to change my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Love has played in the preseason each of his first three years as the starter following Rodgers\u2019 departure during the 2023 offseason, but Love got an injury scare of his own in last year\u2019s exhibition opener against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field.<\/p>\n
Love tore a ligament in the thumb on his left (non-throwing) hand when he was sacked on his final snap against the Jets, an injury that required surgery<\/a>.<\/p>\n