Packer Central

Three Overreactions From Packers’ Victory Over Titans

Malik Willis saved the Green Bay Packers’ season, and a huge matchup becomes clear with the Minnesota Vikings coming to town for a huge NFC North showdown on Sunday.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis embraces Tennessee Titans LB Jack Gibbens after the Packers' 30-14 win on Sunday.
Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis embraces Tennessee Titans LB Jack Gibbens after the Packers' 30-14 win on Sunday. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Without Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers went from prime Super Bowl contenders to start the season to underdogs against the lowly Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

With the Packers’ 30-14 trouncing of the Titans on Sunday for back-to-backup upset wins, they are back to being viewed as Super Bowl contenders. In updated odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Packers are +1800 to win the Super Bowl, the ninth-shortest odds. That’s right about where they were before the Packers lost the game and their quarterback against the Eagles in Brazil.

So, the Pack is Back. As are the weekly Overreactions.

Malik Willis Saved the Season

Could Malik Willis save the season? That was a fair question after Love’s injury.

After all, since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, just 9.6 percent of teams that started 0-2 rebounded to make the playoffs. According to the NFL, since 1990, just four of the 162 teams that started 0-3 bounced back to qualify for the playoffs. That’s 2.5 percent, and the equivalent of one team every six years.

While it’s true that it’s not how you start but how you finish, it’s also true that none of those 0-3 teams got hot and reached the Super Bowl.

Enter Willis, who did enough to beat Indianapolis 16-10 at Lambeau Field last week and more than enough to beat Tennessee in Nashville.

No question the Packers were fortunate to be served up the Colts and Titans on a green-and-golden platter. But Willis was by far the best quarterback on the field for both games.

The Packers didn’t need Willis to win the games. More than anything, they needed him to not lose the game. With zero turnovers – and, really, no turnover-worthy plays – and some rather exceptional play on third down, Willis did what was needed and much, much more.

“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,” receiver Christian Watson said.

“Playing a game as a starter after being there for three weeks for a quarterback is definitely tough. 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. He came out here and he did his thing.”

There’s a good chance Love will return to the lineup against the first-place Minnesota Vikings (3-0) on Sunday. With the Lions (2-1) and 49ers (1-2) not looking like the dominant teams they were last season, is Packers-Vikings going to be Round 1 of a three-round battle that will be decided in the NFC Championship Game?

Zach Tom Dominates; Relax About Rasheed Walker

The Titans have a premier pass rusher in Harold Landry. After recording five sacks in the final five games of last season, Harold started this season with three sacks in the first two games.

The Packers have a premier right tackle in Zach Tom, who entered Sunday on a streak of nine consecutive games without allowing a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

Who won the big matchup?

Tom dominated. Landry had one pressure – and it wasn’t against Tom, who hasn’t allowed a solitary pressure through three games. In fact, of the 63 offensive tackles to have played at least 100 snaps this year, Tom and the Eagles’ Lane Johnson are the only players who have not allowed a pressure.

While Tom picked up where he left off last season and has solidified himself as one the best offensive linemen in the NFL, the same can’t be said for left tackle Rasheed Walker. He was found guilty of offensive holding and illegal use of hands against Tennessee. He is the second-most penalized offensive tackle in the NFL with six through three games.

However, after giving up a Week 1 sack, Walker allowed zero pressures against the Colts and one pressure against the Titans. Once Walker adjusts to the shifty running of Josh Jacobs, the penalty issue should at least be partially resolved.

Pass Rush Is Elite

Throughout the offseason and training camp, it was clear the Packers would boast a strong pass rush. When the Baltimore Ravens came to town for a joint practice, Green Bay’s defensive front dominated.

During the first two games, the Packers had only three sacks against the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Colts’ Anthony Richardson. The front rushed conservatively to make those athletic quarterbacks be quarterbacks rather than athletes.

Against the Titans, Green Bay got to attack.

“Freedom,” is how Kingsley Enagbare put it.

Freedom for the Packers. Pain for Will Levis.

The Packers had one sack in the first half but seven in the second half for their best pass-rushing performance in two decades.

Devonte Wyatt, who was supposed to be unleashed in Jeff Hafley’s attacking scheme, had two sacks. Enagbare had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. In total, seven players got in on the act, with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie sharing a sack on a big fourth-down bootleg by Levis to open the second half.

“It’s amazing, man, and that’s what the coaches preach all week and what we preach to each other – turnovers, creating negative plays – so we can give back the ball to the offense and give them as much opportunity as they can to go score,” said Rashan Gary, who wasn’t part of any of the sacks.

“We out there playing around, communicating like that, flying around man for a full 60 minutes and whatever it takes, you’ve got to love it and that’s the outcome we’re going to get.”

A powerful pass rush, paired with a playmaking secondary, should give the Packers a chance to win every game.

They’ll face an infinitely tougher test against the Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field. With left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill, Minnesota has a borderline-elite tandem of tackles to keep Sam Darnold out of harm’s way.

If given time, Darnold can beat any defense in the NFL. Through Sunday’s games, he’s second in passer rating, first in touchdowns and fourth in yards per attempt. However, when pressured, he’s 25th out of 32 quarterbacks with 4.3 yards per attempt when pressured. That’s worse than Levis (4.5) and Willis (NFL-best 11.3).

More Green Bay Packers News

Malik Willis’ 100-year-old history | Matt LaFleur’s coaching greatness | Packers rally around Malik Willis | Report card: Grades from win over Titans | Eight sacks | Dominating Packers defense | Packers-Titans stock report | Malik Willis earns redemption | Game story: Packers 30, Titans 14 | Packers-Titans live updates | Jordan Love inactive | Malik Willis Revenge Game

Published |Modified
Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.