Aaron of L.A. Photography / Shutterstock.com
The Green Bay Packers had a really bad night when Jordan Love hurt his knee in the last seconds of their 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a terrible ending, and fans were super worried after seeing a video showing Love’s knee shaking.
Love avoided the worst-case scenario.
Instead, he got an MCL sprain, which means he’ll miss only a few weeks. Even though it’s not great for the Packers, this is better than losing him for longer. Without their $220 million quarterback, early-season games will be tougher.
In Love’s absence, Green Bay will rely on Malik Willis, who they recently got from the Tennessee Titans. Willis came to the team just before the season started and took over backup duties from Sean Clifford, who moved to the practice squad.
Willis didn’t get much playing time with the Titans because of a crowded QB room that included Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Interestingly enough, Green Bay will face Tennessee in Week 3, giving Willis a chance at some payback. Over two seasons with Tennessee, he played in 11 games and started three.
But let’s be real: Green Bay doesn’t want to play Willis unless they have no other choice. Head coach Matt LaFleur made that pretty clear when talking to reporters.
#Packers coach Matt LaFleur tells reporters that Malik Willis will start this, assuming Jordan Love can’t go.
“If Jordan is not cleared, then we’ll start Malik, and Sean will be the backup.” pic.twitter.com/pg3fVPT0C0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 9, 2024
Malik Willis will start for Packers if Jordan Love can’t suit up in Week 2
Obviously, the Packers prefer Jordan Love to start. But there’s an undercurrent of disrespect towards Willis in LaFleur’s comments. Initially, they even thought about starting Sean Clifford instead of Willis. This shows how little confidence they have and how desperate they are for Love’s quick return—even if it defies the expected recovery time of 3-to-6 weeks. They didn’t even place him on IR!
It’s kind of obvious that the Packers aren’t thrilled about starting Willis. This isn’t a “we believe in Malik,” or “he’s our next star.” They’re reluctantly putting him in because there are no better options right now.
It’s uncertain how Willis will handle this sudden promotion in an offense he’s still learning. He has good size and mobility but lacks experience. The hope is he can keep things steady until Love returns. Expectations are low; it could go really badly or maybe he’ll surprise us all.
Green Bay doesn’t have many other choices.
Unless they bring in someone like Ryan Tannehill or another past-prime free agent, they’re stuck with Willis until Love is back. Clifford isn’t a viable option either.
