Malik Willis shows the Titans what they gave up, leading the Packers to a 30-14 rout

 

[September 23, 2024]  By TERESA M. WALKER

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A change of scenery and an injury gave Malik Willis a huge opportunity to show what he can do in the NFL.

Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said people truly can't fathom what the third-year quarterback has done in less than a month with the Packers.

Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in his best performance as a pro, leading the Packers to a 30-14 rout of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

“What he’s been able to do is, I’ve never seen something like this,” LaFleur said of Willis, who was acquired in a trade in late August. “So hats off to him. Hats off to everybody around him. Guys rallying and having his back.”

Willis not only won his second straight start subbing for Jordan Love, he got a sweet measure of revenge against the team that traded him to Green Bay (2-1). Willis accounted for 134 of the Packers' 137 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 202 yards passing and 73 rushing.

He started three games as a rookie for Tennessee in 2022 after being a third-round pick out of Liberty by a general manager who was fired that December. Willis said he simply kept working to be ready when opportunity came his way again.

“You don’t know when opportunity will come, but you have to be ready for it if you get it,” Willis said.

The Packers gave Willis plenty of help to improve to 3-2 as a starting quarterback.

Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander scored a touchdown on his first career pick-6 late in the first quarter, helping Green Bay lead 17-7 after 15 minutes and 20-7 at halftime. The Packers ultimately scored 20 straight points for a 27-7 advantage midway through the third, prompting a loud chant of “Go, Pack, Go!”

The Packers had eight sacks, their most since getting eight at Chicago on Jan. 2, 2005. They also forced three turnovers.

“Oh my goodness, they went crazy,” Willis said. “That was amazing. Eight sacks, right? Oh my goodness. That was super. They won the game for us.”

Green Bay receiver Christian Watson, one of seven to catch at least one pass, said Willis may not think of this as a revenge game, having been gone less than a month.

“I want him to be able to go out there and win this thing considering his situation,” Watson said. “I know that he’s always going to be humble.”

First-year coach Brian Callahan has the the Titans (0-3) off to their worst start since losing the first six in 2009. Tennessee, which got a seventh-round pick for Willis, has lost 21 of 27 overall. Callahan said he has not done a good enough job.

“It’s embarrassing and disappointing,” Callahan said. “I’ve got to be a lot better than I’ve been, and this is frustrating and unfortunate and not what I thought we were capable of to start the season.”

Green Bay Packers' Malik Willis runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Green Bay scratched Love before the game, giving him another week to heal his sprained left knee. Willis, with LaFleur's play-calling, made sure the Packers had no issues. The quarterback showed the Titans what they gave up when they stuck with Will Levis as their starter and Mason Rudolph as his backup.

Levis threw two TD passes, one to Nick Vannett and the other to DeAndre Hopkins.

The 33rd pick overall in 2023 out of Kentucky has eight turnovers in three games, including two interceptions returned for TDs. When Callahan took a timeout and sent the offense back in for the punt team, Levis was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-2 to start the third quarter.

Tennessee's defense forced its first three-and-out after Hopkins' TD pulled the Titans within 27-14. Levis drove the Titans to the Green Bay 31 but was sacked two plays later by Kingsley Enagbare. Lukas Van Ness recovered the fumble near midfield.

That sent Titans fans streaming for the exits on a steamy afternoon.

Picky Packers
Green Bay came in leading the NFL with five interceptions and six takeaways. Now the Packers have seven picks through three games, matching their total from all of 2023. Xavier McKinney got the other interception in the final minutes.

Flagging issues
LaFleur wasn't happy with his Packers being flagged 10 times for 75 yards. But he credited his receivers with patiently blocking more than looking for passes for a second straight game. Green Bay ran 37 times and threw 19 passes. A week earlier, the Packers had 53 rushing attempts.

Injuries
Packers: TE Tucker Kraft aggravated the shoulder injury that had him limited in practice.

Titans: CB Chidobe Awuzie hurt a groin muscle early and didn't return. S Amani Hooker came off the field holding something to his right temple at the two-minute warning and did not return.

Up next
Packers: Host Minnesota next Sunday.

Titans: Visit Miami and another backup quarterback in prime time on Monday, Sept. 30.

All contents © copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved