Further heroics on third down help Malik Willis to take revenge in Tennessee

Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis' best plays in his two starts in place of Jordan Love came on third down, the decisive down in the NFL.

After a terrific opening performance against the Indianapolis Colts that included a third-down touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks and five more third-down conversions, Willis was again productive on third down in his return to Tennessee on Sunday.

The Packers built a 20-7 lead in the first half of their 30-14 win over the Titans, with Willis' heroics on third down being a big reason why.

On the opening drive, Willis picked off a pass and hit Christian Watson on a 30-yard slot fade to convert a 3rd-and-6 attempt, setting up his own 5-yard touchdown run a few plays later.

One drive later, Willis did it with his legs, converting 3rd-and-2 with a 20-yard run and 3rd-and-7 with an 8-yard run to set up a field goal.

Late in the first half, coach Matt LaFleur trusted Willis in some key situations and it paid off. On third-and-14 from his own 21-yard line, Willis stayed in the pocket and threw an 18-yard pass to Romeo Doubs. On third-and-18 from the halfway line after a penalty, Willis again stood tall in the pocket and found Watson further back and between defenders for a 37-yard completion.

LaFleur could have gone into halftime with a 17-7 lead. Instead, he kept his foot on the gas, trusted his young quarterback and scored three more points on a drive that required two long third-down conversions. On two consecutive third-down plays, Willis showed he could play out of the pocket and get a strike using two basic concepts in LaFleur's passing game.

The Packers admittedly played a little more cautiously in the second half, especially after Willis' swing pass to Emanuel Wilson gave them a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Content to “deflate the ball” and control the clock, LaFleur and the Packers relied on the run and were forced to punt on three straight possessions.

The final stats for Willis still looked excellent. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown and ran for 73 yards and another score, the most on his team. As far as performance by a backup at the NFL level goes, Willis was nearly perfect through two games.

The Packers traded a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft to the Titans to get Willis, who lost the backup job behind Will Levis – who lost the ball three times on Sunday – during training camp. Packers quarterback Brian Gutekunst won't regret the purchase. Willis has two straight games with a passer rating above 120.0 and the Packers are 2-0 since Love's injury, salvaging what could have been a poor start to the season considering the disappointing Week 1 finish and Love's recovery timeline.

Making it to third down is one of the most difficult tasks as a quarterback in the NFL. Willis used both his legs and his arm, helping the Packers move the posts and score enough points to beat two AFC South opponents, including the team that gave up on him last month.

Willis said this week that he doesn't care about revenge. He showed that revenge is best meted out without intent and on the third try.