The Green Bay Packers face their two biggest rivals for the NFC North crown in their next two games. First, they’ll face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, followed by the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. In these two games, the Packers can use an underutilized weapon to surprise two familiar opponents. Even if it’s for just a series or a handful of plays, the Packers offense can make use of backup quarterback Malik Willis to keep their opponents off balance.
Willis made his first two appearances of the regular season in the team’s last two games. He replaced Jordan Love against the Giants when the starter injured his shoulder while scrambling for a first down. He led the Packers downfield, gaining 16 yards to pick up a crucial first down on 3rd-and-8 before finishing the drive with a touchdown pass to Christian Watson. That drive was crucial in the Packers eventual 27-20 road win.
Willis gave the Packers offense some jump. The players clearly responded when he was put into the game, and the result was a big touchdown. After that, Love returned.
“I can't say enough great things about him,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “I don't even think, just looking into his eyes and talking to him, it was like, ‘Alright, here we go.’ It was like practice. I don't even know if his heartbeat rose at all. He was calm, cool and collected. He did a hell of a job, and I was really impressed with his performance.”
Willis possesses a different skill set than Love. He is much more dangerous as a runner. In fact, in 2024, LaFleur had to redesign the offense in the two games Willis started when Love was out with an injury. The Packers ran an option-based offense with a lot more runs than passes. It worked well and set up Willis to be effective when he did throw the football. Willis has a strong arm but he’s not nearly as accurate as Love is.
While there is no doubt that Love is the Packers starting quarterback, LaFleur has some options to use Willis in different ways to keep opposing defenses off balance. This would be especially helpful against teams like the Lions and Bears who are so familiar with LaFleur’s game plans.
First, LaFleur could bring Willis in at quarterback for a series or two per game. This would force defenses to prepare for a completely different style of offense. Willis can run the football himself, or he can hand off or pitch to Josh Jacob, Emanuel Wilson or whoever the Packers want to give the football to. They can also fake end arounds or jet sweeps and utilize Willis to throw a short pass behind the line of scrimmage after defenders have already committed to the run.
Another option would be to put both Willis and Love on the field at the same time for two or three plays per game. They could utilize Willis as a running back or a receiver to get him the ball in space. Or they could lateral to Willis and have him throw the ball downfield. Willis could also serve as a decoy on some plays and then get the ball or throw the ball on others.
There is an obvious risk to having both quarterbacks on the field at the same time. You don’t want either to get injured of course and Willis’ ability to run the football would expose him to contact. But if we’re talking about two or three plays per game, the risk isn’t significant. The different formation with two quarterbacks adds an element of surprise the first time you use it and forces opposing defenses to prepare for it after that.
In addition, LaFleur could do what he loves to do in that formation: run different plays out of identical formations. Again, this would keep the defense guessing and open up the possibility of a splash play or just an effective gain on a run or pass.
Love is the starter, and Willis is a quality backup. But his distinct skill set could give the Packers some different options on offense IF LaFleur is willing to explore them.