Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers will be without one of their top offensive weapons for at least the next four weeks, beginning with Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day showdown against the division-rival Detroit Lions.
Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney, according to ESPN, in Sunday’s comeback victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. The injury briefly sent Musgrave to the hospital.
Prior to Thursday’s game, the Packers put Musgrave on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least Green Bay’s next four games.
“He’s got a pretty significant injury,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters at his November 22 press conference. “I think it just speaks to his toughness, because he didn’t say anything all game, and then something came up. … This kid is as tough as they come.”
Musgrave wound up finishing the game against the Chargers, catching four passes for 28 yards, before later reporting the injury to the team.
Before hitting injured reserve, Musgrave had quickly ascended up Love’s target hierarchy and become one of the young quarterback’s top weapons. The Packers’ second-round pick in April’s NFL Draft had caught 33 passes for 341 yards with one touchdown through his first 10 games.
“He’s a guy that — I think he’s going to be a very dynamic player in time in this league,” LaFleur said. “He continues to get better every time he goes out there, so obviously a significant blow for us offensively, but just like we always talk about, it’s going to be opportunities for these other guys.”
How the Packers Will Replace Luke Musgrave vs. Lions
With Musgrave out, Packers rookie tight end Tucker Kraft will be pressed into action, with Thursday’s game being the second start of his career.
The Packers chose Kraft in the third round of April’s 2023 draft, with the No. 78 overall pick, out of South Dakota State.
Through the first 10 games of his NFL career, Kraft has pulled down five of his seven targets for 43 yards.
In addition to Kraft, fellow rookie Ben Sims could also see some snaps, to help make up for the loss of Musgrave’s production on the offense.
Lions’ Dan Campbell Praises Packers QB Jordan Love
Love and the Packers will look to play spoiler against the NFC North leaders on Thursday afternoon and avenge a Week 4 prime time loss to the Lions at Lambeau Field.
In the first meeting between these two teams, Love completed just 23-of-36 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns to one interception, in a 34-20 Packers loss to the Lions.
Ahead of the rematch, and the Packers’ attempt to earn a split of the season series, Lions head coach Dan Campbell had some high praise for Love.
“I feel like he’s always been pretty poised really, just some of these connections haven’t – they haven’t been able to connect on some of the critical moments,” Campbell told reporters Monday. “I feel like he’s making those. He just, he looks pretty composed.”
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Packers Rookie Will Miss Thanksgiving Clash After ‘Pretty Significant Injury’