Can Malik Willis save Packers season following Jordan Love’s injury?

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

Jordan Love injured his knee in the final seconds of Friday night’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, so Willis could be the one with a chance to save his season.

Losing in Week 1 isn’t the end of the world. In 2021, the Packers were crushed by the New Orleans Saints 38-3 to finally clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

But 0-2 is a completely different ball game.

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

It’s a terrifying story. Even if Love misses only a short time – what seems to be true – it’s possible the Packers will be buried in the NFC, even with the current watered-down playoff format in which seven of the conference’s 16 teams advance to the postseason.

Obviously, general manager Brian Gutekunst sent a seventh-round pick to the Titans to acquire Willis for a reason. From a pure skill perspective, Willis has the talent to lead the Packers to wins.

“As we’ve followed players early on in their careers, one thing we’ve noticed, especially with this new coaching staff at Tennessee (this year), is how much they’ve grown on offense, playing out of the pocket and making plays that way,” Gutekunst said Aug. 28.

“It’s going to be something new for him and obviously the point guard position, it’s going to take some time. But at the same time, I’m really excited about where his progression has taken him and where he’s going to go, especially with our group.”

The “take some 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 allow him to return to the field in as little as three weeks. Given the Packers’ conservative training staff, let’s assume he misses the next four games. Those games will be at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, at home against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3, at home against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 and at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.

Seriously, all four matches are winnable.

But is it possible for Willis, who has only been out of practice for a few weeks, to lead the Packers to at least a few wins and save them from falling into an impossible situation?

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

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 passer rating of 42.8. Last year, after the Titans selected Will Levis, Willis threw just five passes.

Willis achieved an impressive pass accuracy of 74.1 per cent during this pre-season.

“You saw flashes of him early in the preseason,” Gutekunst continued, “(with) his patience, the way he went through his progressions and knowing how to play from the pocket, when to run, when not to run, those types of things. It’s a short sample size in the preseason, but I thought he did a good job.

“I think his ability to win with both his hands and his feet was what attracted us to him.”

Luckily, Packers coach Matt LaFleur was the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2018. Some of the foundation from that offense carried over to Willis in 2022 and 2023.

“That’s a lot of transferring” Willis said this week“It’s like changing schools, but when you come in, they have a test and they’re learning the material. I was learning the 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 about taking these terms and connecting the dots. It’s not new information, so it’s not as much as your perceived concept.”

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

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

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

More Green Bay Packers News

No ACL tear, no surgery for Love | Three overreactions | Packers-Eagles scorecard | The attack stumbles in the red zone | Latest on Jordan Love | Packers lose, Love injured | Four Downs | Live updates | NFC North Power Rankings | Narveson double-teams to get to Green Bay | Three reasons for optimism in 2024 | Three reasons for disappointment in 2024