Packers' Love still has sore elbow but says he's getting 'back to normal'

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Both of the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks were feeling the aftereffects of injuries to their throwing arms as they began preparations for Sunday's NFC wild-card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

For starter Jordan Love, who left the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears after he banged his right elbow, he said the numbness he experienced in his hand during the game has gone away but his elbow is still sore.

"Yeah, it's more my elbow," Love said Wednesday. "Recovering [from] that."

For backup Malik Willis, who banged his throwing hand on a Bears player's helmet in the fourth quarter, he said that X-rays after the game were negative but that he still doesn't feel as if he has his normal grip on the ball.

"I mean, it doesn't feel normal, no," Willis said. "I just did whatever they allowed me to do out there today, and we'll see how it goes the rest of the week."

Both were listed as limited participants in practice.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Love threw "on a limited basis" in practice.

After Sunday's game, Love said he still had numbness in his hand.

"Pretty much by the next day, I was pretty much feeling back to normal," Love said Wednesday. "The next morning."

Love said he did not wear any protective covering on his elbow during practice but would consider wearing something in Sunday's game if necessary.

The Packers are also dealing with the loss of receiver Christian Watson, who averaged a team-best 21.4 yards per catch. Watson sustained a torn ACL in his right knee in the second quarter against the Bears.

Receiver Romeo Doubs, who missed Sunday's game with an illness, returned to practice Wednesday, and the Packers will also rely more heavily on Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton andMalik Heath. Melton might now become their default-threat receiver in place of Watson.

"Everybody in our room got specific things they do well," Melton said. "For myself, I can run, too. Christian is 6-4 and can run. Replacing him is obviously not going to be too [easy]. But our team of receivers, we all make plays. No matter whose number is called, everybody in our receiver room did something. We got history to back it up."

The Packers also could get back a pair of defensive players who have missed multiple games. Linebacker Quay Walker (ankle) and safety Evan Williams (hamstring) both returned to practice for the first time since their injuries. Walker and Williams both missed the past three games.