As if a 2-0 start couldn't get any better, the Minnesota Vikings got to see two of their three division rivals fall in Week 2, leaving them as the only undefeated team in the NFC North this early on.
The other team, the Green Bay Packers, defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 16-10, with backup quarterback Malik Willis making the start. That win moved the Packers to 1-1, tied with both the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions, and all of them beneath the Vikings.
As the Vikings prepare for a difficult Week 3 matchup against the 2-0 Houston Texans, some news broke on Wednesday that ensured some fans wouldn't be able to help but look forward a bit.
After suffering an MCL injury in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Love was likely to miss anywhere from 3-6 weeks. However, things are trending far more positive for Green Bay as of today.
Wednesday afternoon, Love was spotted back at Packers practice taking part in warmups and some individual drills.
QB Jordan Love practicing for #Packers Wednesday, wearing a sleeve on his left leg.
— Mike Spofford (@mikespofford) September 18, 2024
Not practicing: WR Jayden Reed & OL Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan pic.twitter.com/JclxfyAgTz
With Love returning to practice, at least in part, this puts his status for Week 3 less up in the air than it originally might have been.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has indicated that if Love is healthy enough, he will return and start. But, Love would also ideally be able to have some practice time before making his return.
It would make sense for Love to sit out one more game and allow Malik Willis to face his former team, but then, in Week 4, he could make his return against Minnesota.
What a time to return.
Minnesota Vikings early season will be directly impacted by how Green Bay Packers handle Jordan Love injury
Looking at things realistically, the Vikings could end up going into Week 4 with a record of 2-1. This is not to say they're dead in the water already, but the Texans are a difficult matchup for many reasons.
Obviously, C.J. Stroud is one of the rising quarterbacks in this league and is the reigning Rookie of the Year for a reason. His weapons are seemingly endless, although the Texans may be playing without running back Joe Mixon, to be determined on that last bit.
Defensively, the Texans have proven to be a problem. They have a pass rush that looks to be relentless after adding former Vikings stud Danielle Hunter, which, oh, by the way, is another big storyline to this game.
If the Vikings drop this one to Houston and Love makes his return in Week 4, that means the Vikings could be looking at going 2-2 after winning their first two games of the season.
Sure, these are all hypotheticals. But it's a realistic scenario.
Now, the optimist would say Minnesota wants to beat Green Bay at their best. So, if Love is back, then so be it. We'll be in for an old-fashioned NFC North battle.
For now, it's all about the Texans. But, as the next few days go by, this injury situation is going to have a big impact on the Vikings.