QB Willis impresses vs. ex-team: 'By no means seen this'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Malik Willis did issues to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday that he was by no means in a position to do for them, which was why lower than a month in the past they traded him to the Green Bay Packers.

And he did them to the amazement of nearly everybody within the victorious guests’ locker room who couldn’t have imagined that Willis could be pressed into obligation together with his new crew so quickly after he joined them Aug. 26.

Willis would not name it a revenge sport nor would he take a lot of the credit score for Sunday’s 30-14 win over his previous crew in its personal stadium. However others certain did after he led the Packers to the second straight unlikely victory with out Jordan Love, who missed his second straight sport due to the knee harm he sustained late within the season opener.

A month in the past, coach Matt LaFleur had by no means coached Willis. Now, he is 2-0 with him as his fill-in beginning quarterback.

“I simply can’t articulate the job that he is completed on this brief time period,” LaFleur stated. “Individuals cannot fathom it. I promise you, you guys do not get it. I do know you assume you bought it, however you aren’t getting it. What he is been in a position to do, I’ve by no means seen one thing like this.”

Willis had loads of assist because of some of the dominant performances by a Packers protection in years with eight sacks (their most in a sport since 2005) and three extra takeaways (giving them 9 this season, their most via three video games since 2009). Security Xavier McKinney obtained his third interception in as many video games to begin the season and Jaire Alexander’s pick-six of Titans quarterback Will Levis within the first quarter helped Willis play from the lead for the second straight week. Preston Smith and Devonte Wyatt additionally had two sacks every.

However after a run-heavy sport plan final week towards the Colts, it was clear instantly Sunday that LaFleur had extra in thoughts for Willis towards the Titans. On the sport’s first play, Willis hit receiver Jayden Reed on a crossing route for 30 yards. Three performs later, Willis checked out of a play based mostly on the Titans’ defensive look and threw a 30-yard deep ball to Christian Watson that led to a 5-yard Willis speeding landing.

In all, Willis threw for extra yards than he ever has in an NFL sport (202 whereas finishing 13 of 19 passes with one landing) and rushed for extra yards (73 on six makes an attempt) than he ever has. In three begins with the Titans in 2022, he failed to succeed in 100 passing yards in any of them. His speeding whole was the second most by a Packers quarterback in a sport since 1970, trailing solely Don Majkowski’s 88 speeding yards towards the Lions in 1990.

That he did it towards the crew that after used a third-round decide on him in 2022 solely to discard him in change for a seventh-round decide from the Packers did not faze him. A minimum of not publicly.

“I feel all wins rely the identical,” Willis stated afterward.

That is not the way it performed within the Packers locker room.

“Listening to him discuss his scenario and every little thing — for me, I used to be speaking to different wideouts earlier within the sport — I do not care if he does not assume it is a revenge sport, I am going on the market and taking part in for him,” stated Watson, who led the Packers with 67 receiving yards on two catches. “I would like him to have the ability to go on the market and win this factor contemplating his scenario. I do know that he is all the time going to be humble and stay his character that he’s.”

Every week after the Packers rushed 53 instances and threw it 14, the steadiness wasn’t fairly as out of whack. In opposition to the Titans, they rushed 37 instances for 188 yards and threw it 19 instances. LaFleur wouldn’t say when he knew Willis would make a second straight begin; Love, who practiced final week on a restricted foundation and was listed as questionable on the ultimate harm report, went via an in depth pregame exercise earlier than being introduced as inactive 90 minutes earlier than kickoff.

Whether or not Love returns subsequent Sunday towards the Minnesota Vikings (3-0) stays to be seen, however the emotional increase the Packers (2-1) obtained from going 2-0 with out him was obvious.

“I feel that may impress our crew,” LaFleur stated. “We wanted everyone.”