Malik Willis will hit Lambeau Field to make his starting debut for the Green Bay Packers — 631 days after his last NFL start.
As expected, the Packers’ Jordan Love is officially out and Willis will take over on Sunday against the visiting Indianapolis Colts.
Love suffered an MCL sprain at the end of the Packers’ season opener in Brazil and it was initially reported he could miss three to six weeks. LaFleur wouldn’t quite rule him out against Indy earlier in the week, and Love initially was deemed questionable on Friday before being downgraded to doubtful Saturday.
But Love is now out, and Willis is in, quarterbacking the Packers less than three weeks after he was officially acquired by the club in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
A 2022 NFL Draft third-round selection out of Liberty, Willis was once seen as a potential franchise signal-caller for the Titans. Willis struggled in his first two seasons, though, which included three starts — all as a rookie. His last start came on Christmas Eve 2022 in a 19-14 loss to the Houston Texans in which Willis was 14 of 23 for 99 yards and two interceptions.
Willis is 1-2 as a starter in 17 career appearances. Though he has an NFL win to his resume, Willis is still looking for his initial career touchdown pass. He’s 35 of 67 for 350 yards, no TDs and three interceptions. Willis has scored on the ground, though, having rushed 32 times for 144 yards and one TD. He possesses big-play ability with his legs and a strong arm, but just how ready he’ll be after a week of preparation with LaFleur is a massive question heading into Sunday.
Willis played two snaps for the Packers after Love went down. He threw an incompletion and was then sacked to end the game.
Green Bay’s hoping for a much-improved showing Sunday when the Packers kick off against the visiting Colts at 1 p.m. PT.
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