The Green Bay Packers got off to an unceremonious start to the 2024 NFL season, losing 34-29 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. However, the main concern after the game was the status of starting quarterback Jordan Love, whose leg was rolled up when he was being pulled down by Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
Initially it looked like Love had sustained a season-ending lower extremity injury, but a crisis was averted after an MRI diagnosed Love with an MCL sprain. The severity was reported to be somewhere between a grade 1 and grade 2 MCL sprain according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Green Bay's franchise quarterback will be sidelined for the next two games, leaving the recently acquired Malik Willis as the starting quarterback.
Willis' track record in the NFL isn’t the most glamorous. In 12 games (3 of them being starts) he has completed 35 of 67 passes for 350 yards, zero touchdown passes and three interceptions. He also rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown. Despite his inconsistent stats, the Packers were impressed by his growth and performance during the preseason, which is why they traded for him in the first place. While one could argue his lone passing attempt against Philadelphia should be cause for concern, there are multiple factors to consider.
Willis was coming in at the end of the game for a hail-mary attempt, and he just started learning Green Bay's playbook a week ago. It's hard to judge the guy based on less-than-ideal circumstances. A full week of practice with the starters will get Willis more comfortable in Matt Lafleur's ahead of the team's week two home opener with the Indianapolis Colts. Furthermore, he has a much better-supporting cast in Green Bay than he ever did in Tennessee. T
Throwing to the likes of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed is a breath of fresh air compared to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Robert Woods, and Treylon Burks. While he did have DeAndre Hopkins last year, he didn't get to throw to him as he lost the backup quarterback job to Will Levis. Furthermore, it’s reasonable to expect Lafleur to rely a little bit more on Josh Jacobs on the ground to take pressure off Willis. It also helps that the Packers schedule is lighter for the next two weeks with the Colts and Titans. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses and don’t compare to the otherworldly level of talent that the Eagles possess.
That’s not to suggest that Willis will be perfect in the coming weeks, but Green Bay doesn’t need him to be. He’s the backup for a reason, and he must do what is needed to help the Packers get into the win column. If Love were out for a longer period, then this would be an entirely different conversation.
Luckily, he is only expected to miss two games, possibly three, if the team wants to proceed with caution regarding his injury. In any case Willis will be just fine. And while it’s not ideal, Green Bay can at least see what they have in Willis and decide if he stabilizes the backup quarterback position. Adding everything together, Willis is in a prime position to lead the Packers to a 2-0 record while Love is out.
