NASHVILLE – Backup QB Malik Willis won his second straight start in place of Jordan Love, as the Packers beat the Titans, 30-14, Sunday at Nissan Stadium.
Green Bay is now 2-1, and here are five takeaways from the triumph:
- Willis was better than he was last week.
Returning to his old stomping grounds in Nashville, Willis needed to do more for the Packers' offense than a week ago when Green Bay's ground game totally controlled the action.
The Packers still ran the ball well (188 rushing yards), but Willis converted several third downs with clutch throws, used his own legs to move the ball early on, and did not turn it over for the second straight game.
"That's the No. 1 job of the quarterback, take care of the football," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "He's done a great job not putting the ball in harm's way. It's allowed us to open some things up."
A third-down conversion on the opening possession on a deep ball to Christian Watson set the stage for a pair of third-and-longs to Romeo Doubs and Watson (two catches, 67 yards) later in the first half. Willis' sparkling 120.9 passer rating included 13 completions in 19 attempts for 202 yards and a TD.
He also used the zone read on running plays along with a couple of scrambles to lead the team with 73 rushing yards on six attempts, all in the first half.
"100% it gives everybody more confidence in what you're doing," LaFleur said of the early success.
"Can't say enough about him, just the job he's done to get in our offense and be productive.
"Hats off to him, hats off to everybody around him, guys rallying to have his back."
- Unlike Willis, Titans QB Will Levis did not protect the ball.
The Packers got three more takeaways off the struggling Tennessee quarterback, first a pick-six by Jaire Alexander. Kingsley Enagbare had a strip-sack for one of the defense's eight sacks, and Xavier McKinney intercepted a deep ball for the third time in as many games.
"Oh my goodness, they were crazy," Willis said of the defense. "Eight sacks, right? They won the game for us. Everybody deserves a game ball."
Seven different players got in on the sack party – with Preston Smith (two), Devonte Wyatt (two) and Enagbare (1½) all getting multiple – as the Packers continued to dial up blitzes and pressures with Levis unable to avoid trouble when desperate. Levis now has nine turnovers (five INTs, four lost fumbles) for the 0-3 Titans while the Packers have their most takeaways through three games (nine) since 2009.
"That's why we kind of took the air out of the ball a little bit," LaFleur said of the offense focusing on the run with the second-half lead. "We were getting after him, hitting him. That's tough on a quarterback.
"We have a lot of depth and we're rolling guys. A lot of guys are getting snaps, to the benefit of our team, so we can stay healthy hopefully and stay fresher longer."
- The game swung strongly in Green Bay's favor early in the second half.
The Packers built a 20-7 halftime lead, with Alexander's pick-six making it 17-7 in the second quarter and Green Bay taking on a field goal right before intermission with a clock-eating, six-minute drive.
Then the second half started with a huge fourth-down stop of the Titans in Tennessee territory, as the defense took away a bootleg pass and tackled Levis short of the marker.
A handful of plays later, and thanks to a Titans penalty on a missed field goal that provided a fresh set of downs, running back Emanuel Wilson took a screen pass 30 yards to paydirt for the second-year pro's first NFL touchdown. The Packers were suddenly up 27-7. Wilson finished with 85 yards from scrimmage (50 rushing, 35 receiving).
From there, it was just a matter of not letting anything get out of hand.
"Our defense was playing so well, I thought it'd be silly," LaFleur said of pushing things too much, even though Willis' production gave him plenty of confidence to do so. "I was just trying to manage the game from that perspective."
- If there's one area the Packers want to shore up, it's penalties.
Green Bay was flagged 10 times for 75 yards in the game, giving the offense more hurdles to clear with various holdings, plus motion and formation penalties. A defensive offside on third down also wiped out a stop (a sack by Rashan Gary) that would've forced an early field goal, costing four points.
It was the second time in three games the Packers have been penalized 10 times, with five in Week 2, and those 25 flags do not include offsetting or declined fouls.
At 2-1, there's still plenty of work to do.
"You're always learning," LaFleur said, admitting there's plenty to clean up. "If not, you're dying."
- There's a big NFC North matchup in a week.
The 2-1 Packers will be hosting the 3-0 Vikings in Week 4 next Sunday at Lambeau Field.
There was no update on Love's knee injury and recovery, but he was definitely closer to playing this week than last, and he just might be back.
Either way, a significant early game in the division race is on tap.
