Victories like this can motivate the Packers

NASHVILLE – Malik Willis has done it again, but he still has a lot to prove and is in a much tougher position.

Willis didn't want to be emotional or vengeful after beating a Titans team that gave up on him less than a month ago. Sunday's 30-14 victory at Nissan Stadium said it all.

Afterwards, he played just as disciplined and calmly as he had during the game and delivered a virtually flawless performance that earned him the 2-0 victory for Jordan Love.

Were there any emotions when he left the tunnel? “Not really,” he said. “I wanted to play football out there. This is cool.”

How about leaving the field? Again, not leaving, but instead thinking: “Who do I give my little towel and hat to?”

Does this win feel different? “I think all wins count the same. It was cool to see some of my old guys again.”

This guy really doesn't mind the noise outside, and it obviously works to his advantage.

Throwing for 202 yards and a passer rating of 120.9, Willis gave the Packers and playmaker Matt LaFleur a big confidence boost early on. On the fourth snap of the game and first third down attempt, he hit a leaping Christian Watson on a go route down the sideline for 30 yards.

The original play, according to LaFleur, was a quick pass with a “can,” or the option to run something else. He turned the can into an alternative and made it work, leading to a first touchdown.

LaFleur had no problem asking him to step on the gas when needed after that, and the Packers were rewarded with conversions on third-and-14 (18 yards to Romeo Doubs) and third-and-18 (37 yards to Watson) on the same drive late in the first half — with two solid throws up the middle.

“A change of scenery can do some people good,” LaFleur said of Willis' win against his old team. “I can't put into words what he's done in such a short period of time. People can't comprehend it, I promise you.”

LaFleur specifically praised quarterback coaches Tom Clements, Connor Lewis and Sean Mannion for the extra work they have put into the team since Willis' arrival.

Meanwhile, Willis, as seems to be his nature, praised everyone else. He sees his job as giving the offensive playmakers “a chance and letting them do what they are blessed to do.”

The defense also played its part. “I think it would have been easy for anyone playing with a defense like that,” he said, referring to the eight-sack, three-takeaway performance. “If they keep doing that, I'll pay what I can out of my own pocket.”

He even gave credit for his ball security — he hasn't even come close to losing a turnover in two starts — to LaFleur and the weekly meetings with the coaches, where the emphasis is on “winning the ball.”

But one shouldn't downplay Willis' performance over the last two games, and especially on Sunday. While LaFleur admitted that “a change of scenery can be good for some people,” Willis' teammates really wanted this for him.

“I don't care … if he doesn't think it's a rematch,” Watson said. “I'm going out there and playing for him. I want him to go out there and win the thing, considering his situation.”

Willis has found an organization that believes in him, and he is doing his best to make that team believe in him, too.

“I think that can motivate our team,” LaFleur said of a win like this. “And we needed every single one.”