Packers HC Names Malik Willis Starting QB if Jordan Love is Forced to Miss Time

The Green Bay Packers were dealt an unfortunate blow on Friday night when star quarterback Jordan Love was forced to exit the game with six seconds to go with an apparent lower leg injury.

The injury didn’t look good at the moment, and on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that Love suffered an MCL sprain. Schefter added that it wasn’t expected to be season-ending, but the 25-year-old was expected to miss some time.

Read more: Packers QB Jordan Love Suffers MCL Sprain, Expected To Miss Significant Time

The injury to Love led to many questions about the Packers’ quarterback room. Without Love, third-year quarterback Malik Willis and second-year quarterback Sean Clifford would appear to be competing for the starting nod. However, there were reports that the Packers were scouring the free agent market for a veteran Pro Bowl signal-caller.

Read more: Packers Have Reached Out to Former Pro Bowl Quarterback Amid Jordan Love Injury

On Monday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur squashed those rumors for the time being when asked about the team’s quarterback situation.

“If Jordan is not cleared, then we’ll start Malik, and Sean will be the backup,” LaFleur said to reporters.

First and foremost, LaFleur seemingly left the door open for a Love return sooner rather than later. He didn’t definitively say Love would be out this week, meaning the team is likely doing everything they can to see if their star signal-caller can suit up.

However, if Love isn’t able to play, then it will be Willis as the team’s starter for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

Willis entered Friday night’s game for the final two plays of the game, a 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The former third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 was acquired by the Packers in late August in a somewhat surprising move. However, that trade is already paying dividends for Green Bay.

Willis struggled in limited time across his first two seasons in Tennessee. In 11 games and just three starts, he completed 35 of 66 passes for 350 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 32 rushes for 144 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

Willis is an obvious downgrade from Love, who’s coming off his first season as a starter in 2023 in which he threw for 4,159 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. However, it will be up to Willis to hold down the fort for however long Love is out, and try to keep the Packers from falling behind early in a crowded NFC North division.