A change in teams and an injury gave Malik Willis a great chance to show what he can do in the NFL.
Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said that people might not fully understand what the third-year quarterback has achieved in less than a month with the Packers.
Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for another in his best performance as a professional, leading the Packers to a 30-14 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
“What he’s been able to do is, I’ve never seen something like this,” LaFleur said about Willis, who was traded to Green Bay in late August. “So hats off to him. Hats off to everybody around him. Guys rallying and having his back.”
Willis not only won his second straight start filling in for Jordan Love, but he also got a nice revenge against the team that traded him. He accounted for 134 of the Packers’ 137 yards in the first quarter, finishing with 202 passing yards and 73 rushing yards.
He started three games as a rookie for Tennessee in 2022 after being picked in the third round by a general manager who was fired that December. Willis mentioned that he kept working to be ready for his next chance.
“You don’t know when opportunity will come, but you have to be ready for it if you get it,” Willis said.
The Packers supported Willis well, improving to 3-2 with him as their starting quarterback.
Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander scored a touchdown on his first career pick-6 late in the first quarter, helping Green Bay lead 17-7 after the first quarter and 20-7 at halftime.
The Packers scored 20 straight points for a 27-7 lead midway through the third, leading to loud chants of “Go, Pack, Go!”
The Packers also had eight sacks, their most since getting eight against Chicago on January 2, 2005. They forced three turnovers as well.
“Oh my goodness, they went crazy,” Willis said. “That was amazing. Eight sacks, right? Oh my goodness. That was super. They won the game for us.”
Green Bay receiver Christian Watson, one of seven players to catch a pass, said Willis might not see this as a revenge game since he had been gone for less than a month.
“I want him to be able to go out there and win this thing considering his situation,” Watson said. “I know that he’s always going to be humble.”
First-year coach Brian Callahan has the Titans (0-3) off to their worst start since losing the first six games in 2009. Tennessee, which received a seventh-round pick for Willis, has lost 21 of 27 games overall. Callahan acknowledged that he has not done a good enough job.
