Packers QB Jordan Love out against Colts with knee injury; Malik Willis starts

Jordan Love will not play in the Green Bay Packers' home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday as the quarterback continues to recover from a knee injury sustained in the team's season opener.

Indianapolis Colts

IND

Green Bay Packers

Great Britain

Love is inactive. It is the first time he has missed a game due to injury since taking over as starting quarterback last year. Love had not practiced all week after injuring his left medial ligament on the final series of the Packers' 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Brazil.

Malik Willis will start in Love's place, less than three weeks after he joined the Packers. In a trade announced on August 27, Green Bay acquired Willis from the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Willis, a 2022 third-round pick from Liberty, made just three starts in his rookie season. Tennessee went 1-2 in those games, and Willis didn't throw for more than 100 yards in any of them.

Sean Clifford will back up Willis. The Packers activated Clifford from the practice squad for Sunday's game.

[Read more: QB Confidential: How can the NFL better develop its backup quarterbacks?]

Willis will face a Colts secondary missing safety Julian Blackmon and cornerback JuJu Brents. Blackmon is unavailable because of a shoulder injury. Brents was placed on the injured list this week after hurting his knee in a 29-27 loss to the Houston Texans.

The Colts are also without wide receiver Josh Downs for the second consecutive season due to an ankle injury. Downs had 68 catches for 771 yards and two touchdowns last season.

Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is available. Buckner was listed as questionable due to back problems.

The Packers also announced Sunday that wide receiver Jayden Reed (shin/calf) and rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) were available. Both were listed as questionable on the injury report the Packers released Friday.

Reed caught four passes for 138 yards against the Eagles and scored a touchdown with a 70-yard pass and a 33-yard run. He also caught a 38-yard touchdown that was nullified by penalties. Reed became the fifth player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to score touchdowns with a catch of at least 70 yards and a run of at least 30 yards in the same game.

This will be the NFL debut for Lloyd, a third-round rookie out of USC. Lloyd did not play against the Eagles because of a hamstring injury.

In addition to Love, the Packers' inactive list includes safety Kitan Oladapo, defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr., offensive tackles Andre Dillard and Travis Glover, and defensive lineman Colby Wooden.

The Colts' inactive players are Blackmon, Downs, defensive end Genard Avery, guard Tanor Bortolini, quarterback Sam Ehlinger, offensive tackle Blake Freeland and tight end Will Mallory.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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