Less than a month ago, Malik Willis was a Tennessee Titans quarterback whose immediate future was unclear. In his final appearance at Nissan Stadium as a Titan, Willis threw an interception and took two sacks. Nine days later, he'd be traded to the Packers for a seventh-round pick.
But in Willis' return to his old home Sunday, he looked like a completely different quarterback than the one the Titans practically gave away to Green Bay, leading the Packers to a 30-14 victory at Tennessee in Week 3.
In leading the Packers to two straight victories with Jordan Love still shelved with a knee injury, Willis has blown his new team away.
"I just cannot articulate the job that he's done in this short period of time," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. "People can't fathom it. I promise you, you guys don't get it. I know you think you got it, but you don't get it.
"What he's been able to do, I've never seen something like this."
Willis played a turnover-free game for a second straight week, completing 13 of 19 passes for a career-best 202 yards and a touchdown pass that gave the Packers a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Willis kicked off Green Bay's big offensive day with a 5-yard TD run to cap a crisp, 70-yard drive. He ran six times for 73 yards, with runs of 20 and 29 yards and a key conversion, running for 8 yards on third-and-7 to keep a field-goal drive alive.
But to hear Willis, this wasn't some revenge game -- just another chance to prove himself as a young quarterback.
"I think all wins count the same," Willis said.
Christian Watson disagreed. The Packers' leading receiver on Sunday said he heard what went down with Willis in Tennessee and wanted to be sure he and his teammates had their QB's back, even if Willis wasn't playing up the revenge-game angle.
"I don't care if he doesn't think it's a revenge game, I'm going out there and playing for him," . "I want him to be able to go out there and win this thing considering his situation. I know that he's always going to be humble and remain (who) he is."
Willis led a heavy rushing attack in the Packers' Week 2 victory over the Colts, with Green Bay clearly keeping the reins on him. On Sunday, they opened up the playbook more for Willis, showing an impressive measure of trust.
Willis also outplayed his counterpart, Will Levis, with whom he was competing in training camp. The Packers harassed Levis with eight sacks, two interceptions (one run back for a touchdown) and a lost fumble, leading to questions for Titans head coach Brian Callahan about Levis' status as the team's starter.
The Titans say they're sticking with Levis, but do they regret trading Willis? The Packers are certainly thrilled with the trade so far, even if the reality is that Love could soon push Willis back to the bench. But in no way is LaFleur overlooking the potential significance of what his new quarterback has done for the Packers.
"I think that can galvanize our team," LaFleur said. "We needed everybody."
