Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Malik Willis reacts [+]after leading the Packers to a 30-14 win over Tennessee Sunday.
“Bust.”
“Wasted draft pick.”
“Career crossroads.”
Malik Willis heard them all — and many more — before the former Tennessee quarterback was traded to Green Bay on Aug. 27.
Now, after spending less than a month with his new team, Packer Nation has a new term for Willis.
“Savior.”
Willis has started the last two games for Green Bay as franchise quarterback Jordan Love recovers from a sprained MCL. Not only has Willis led the Packers to consecutive wins — including a 30-14 rout of his former Tennessee team on Sunday — he’s jumpstarted his own career, one that appeared on the brink of extinction earlier this summer.
“Maybe a change of scenery can be good for some guys,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Willis. “And I just cannot articulate the job that he’s done in this short period of time. People can’t fathom it.”
“I promise you, you guys don’t get it. I know you think you got it, but you don’t get it. What he’s been able to do, I’ve never seen something like this. Hats off to him, hats off to everybody around him, guys rallying, having his back.”
Jordan Love’s Injury Against The Philadelphia Eagles Week 1
When Love crumpled to the ground, holding his knee and writhing in pain at the end of Green Bay’s Week 1 loss to Philadelphia, it appeared the Packers’ promising season was in danger of collapsing.
Willis had been a Packer for less than two weeks. And his résumé in Tennessee was far from stellar.
Willis, a third-round draft pick made by the Titans in 2022, never threw a touchdown pass in Tennessee. He did throw three interceptions and posted an abysmal passer rating of 49.4.
Green Bay was desperate for a backup quarterback in late August and Willis wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot with the Titans. So the Packers sent a seventh-round draft pick to Tennessee for the former Liberty standout.
Green Bay has already won that trade in a landslide.
In two games with the Packers, Willis is 25-of-33 for 324 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 126.3 passer rating. And amazingly, Willis led Green Bay to a pair of wins when it was a significant underdog in both contests.
“I think I’d say he’s exceeded my expectations not because of his skills or his talent, but just because he was thrown into a tough situation, playing a game as a starter after being there for three weeks for a quarterback is definitely tough,” Packers wideout Christian Watson said. “For him to come out and put all that aside and go out there and play ball and be him, I think that’s huge. I’m super happy for him.”
There are a lot of reasons Willis and the Packers have survived — and thrived — while Love recovers.
Willis has matured and understands the game better after playing collegiately at Liberty. The offensive personnel Willis is playing with in Green Bay is far superior to the cast in Tennessee.
Most importantly, though, is the coaching provided by LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, quarterback coach Tom Clements and Green Bay’s entire staff.
LaFleur has one of the brightest offensive minds in football. He’s extremely creative and does a tremendous job highlighting a player’s strengths.
Willis had been in Green Bay just 20 days when he drew the start against Indianapolis on Sept. 15. So LaFleur made things as simple as possible for Willis, asking him to make primarily short and intermediate throws, and allowing him to get outside the pocket where he could take advantage of his rare athleticism.
Green Bay also ran the ball a whopping 53 of 67 plays (79.1%), which forced the Colts to make stopping the run — not Willis — their primary focus.
Willis took full advantage completing 12-of-14 passes for 122 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks. Willis also had six carries for 41 yards and didn’t throw an interception as the Packers downed the Colts, 16-10.
“We’re all proud of him,” Wicks said. “He came out and balled. He did what we expected him to do. We had a lot of practice. I’m glad for him. He’s been here only three weeks. Good play-calling, good plays, smart plays. He came through for us.”
LaFleur took the training wheels off on Sunday when Green Bay rolled past Tennessee.
Willis and the Packers took more deep shots and stretched the field vertically. And for the second straight week, Willis was tremendous.
Willis completed 13-of-19 passes against Tennessee for 202 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions. Willis also ran for a team-high 73 yards and a TD and finished with a passer rating of 120.9.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, Willis’ 73 rushing yards were the second most by a Green Bay quarterback in a game since the 1970 merger. Only Don Majkowski had more, rushing for 88 against Detroit in 1990.
Willis had every chance to talk about revenge or payback after beating his former team. Instead, he was humble and thankful for the opportunity that has come his way in Green Bay.
“I only got three starts here (in Tennessee) as a rookie,” said Willis, who went 1-2 as a starter that year. “And … I just wasn’t ready at that point in time.
“I’ve had a lot of time to just work hard and just grind every day in order to make use of my next opportunity, which I’ve been just trying to do this last two weeks. I think more than anything you just try to continue to work hard and understand that you don’t know when the opportunity will come, but you have to be ready for it when you get it.”
There’s a strong chance Love will be ready to go this week when the Packers (2-1) host Minnesota (3-0) in an NFC North showdown. And that means Willis will go back to watching for now.
But Willis has proven that the Packers are in good hands if their franchise quarterback goes down again. And that’s a remarkable accomplishment considering where Willis seemed headed just one month ago.
Perhaps the Packers’ succinct cornerback Jaire Alexander summed it up best.
“Malik is the man,” Alexander said.
Right now, no one in Packer Nation would argue.
