Can Willis Save Packers’ Season After Love’s Injury?

With a crash course in the Green Bay Packers’ offense, can new quarterback Malik Willis save the Packers’ season after Jordan Love’s knee injury?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) examines the Eagles' defense on Friday in Sao Paulo? / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Aug. 26, the Green Bay Packers acquired quarterback Malik Willis. On Sept. 15 – exactly 20 days later – he could be the starting quarterback for the Packers at Lambeau Field against the Indianapolis Colts.

With Jordan Love suffering a knee injury during the final seconds of the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night, it might be up to Willis to save the season.

Losing in Week 1 isn’t the end of the world. The Packers were pulverized 38-3 by the New Orleans Saints in 2021 and wound up earning homefield advantage in the NFC playoffs, anyway.

But 0-2 is a whole other kettle of fish.

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, 416 teams have started the season 0-2. Just 40 of those teams made the playoffs. That’s 9.6 percent. Last year, nine teams started 0-2, with only the Houston Texans reaching the postseason.

That’s some daunting history. Even if Love only misses a short time – which appears to be the case – it’s possible the Packers will be buried in the NFC, even in today’s watered-down playoff format in which seven of the conference’s 16 teams will reach the postseason.

Of course, general manager Brian Gutekunst sent a seventh-round pick to the Titans to land Willis for a reason. From a pure skill-set perspective, Willis has the talent to lead the Packers to victories.

“As we track guys through the early stages of their career, the one thing we saw, particularly with this new coaching staff in Tennessee (this year), is how much he progressed within the offense playing from the pocket and making plays that way,” Gutekunst said on Aug. 28.

“This will be new for him and, obviously, the quarterback position, it’ll take a little bit of time. But, at the same time, just really excited about where his progression has taken him this far and where he’ll go particularly under our group.”

The “take a little bit of time” part of that statement is obviously problematic because the Packers don’t have the luxury of time.

A source told Packers On SI that Love will not need surgery and that rehab could get him on the field in as little as three weeks. Given the Packers’ conservative training staff, let’s say he will miss the next four games. Those games are at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, at the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, home against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 and at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.

Really, all four of those games are winnable.

However, is it really possible for Willis, with just a few weeks off practices under his belt, to lead the Packers to at least a couple wins so the team isn’t in an insurmountable hole?

“He’s always shown the traits,” Gutekunst said. “He’s a really good athlete. A very strong athlete, strong arm, able to make all the throws. You know, he came from Liberty. Obviously, they’re two different guys but, a little bit like Jordan, a very young kid coming from a smaller-level competition.”

As a third-round draft pick in 2022, Willis started three games as a rookie and completed just 50.8 percent of his passes with zero touchdowns, three interceptions and a 42.8 passer rating. Last year, after the Titans drafted Will Levis, Willis threw only five passes.

This preseason, Willis completed an impressive 74.1 percent of his passes.

“You saw the flashes early on in his preseason work,” Gutekunst continued, “(with) his patience, the way he was going through his progressions and able to play from the pocket, when to run, when not to run, those kind of things. It’s a short sample size in the preseason, but I thought he did a nice job. 

“I think his ability to win with his arm and with his legs was something that attracted us to him.”

Fortunately, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2018. Some of the foundation from that offense was present for Willis in 2022 and 2023.

“It’s a lot of carryover,” Willis said this week. “It’s like transferring schools but they have a test when you come in and they’ve been studying certain material. I’ve been studying material – it’s NFL football – but it’s different terminology and a different system.

“I’ve been in systems that are more similar than this and there’s a lot of carryover. It’s really just getting those terms together and connecting the dots. It’s not new information so it’s not as much as your perceived notion of it.”

The only other quarterback on the 70-man roster is Sean Clifford, who was Love’s backup last season and is on the practice squad to start this season.

In 2013, Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone and was replaced by Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien. Finally, Matt Flynn returned to Green Bay and led the Packers to victories over the Falcons and Cowboys, which allowed Rodgers to return for the final game of the season and stun the Bears to give the Packers the NFC North title.

When Rodgers broke his collarbone again in 2017, Brett Hundley went 3-5 to give the Packers a glimmer of hope, but they lost to Carolina in Rodgers’ return and were eliminated.

More Green Bay Packers News

No surgery for #Packers QB Jordan Love. Rehab only. Updates coming.https://t.co/INgZ1X5sTd

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 7, 2024

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