Packers’ Playoff Hopes Could Hinge on Multiple Backup Plans

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will host the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. Green Bay’s starting quarterback, Jordan Love, has a concussion. Baltimore’s starting quarterback, Lamar Jackson, has a bruised back.

If the Packers don’t clinch a playoff berth this week, they’d have to do it in Week 18 at the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota’s starting quarterback, J.J. McCarthy, has an injured throwing hand.

So, with a trip to the postseason at stake, it could be Malik Willis against Tyler Huntley on Saturday night at Lambeau Field and then a matchup against Max Brosmer in Minneapolis.

Love’s status is uncertain because concussions are tricky. Most injuries have a fairly established timeline. Not a concussion. Josh Jacobs has been playing through a knee injury for weeks. There’s no “playing through” a concussion. There’s no “taping it up” or taking a shot. You’re either cleared to play or you’re not, no matter what the player says or the coach wants.

“I would say, yeah, you might have an educated guess, but in terms of [the concussion protocol], that’s always a tough one to navigate,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Sunday, one day after a fall-from-ahead loss to the Chicago Bears. “There’s a lot of steps to getting through that. But I do think just my conversations with people – I have not specifically talked to him today – but it sounded like he was doing better.”

Fortunately for the Packers, they have one of the NFL’s top backup quarterbacks in Malik Willis. Unfortunately for the Packers, he suffered an injured throwing shoulder when he was sacked on the final play of regulation.

“He’s pretty sore,” LaFleur said.

The only other quarterback on the team is Clayton Tune, a fifth-round pick by the Cardinals in 2023 who signed to Green Bay’s practice squad after training camp. He is 14-of-23 passing with zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his brief career.

Plans D and E would be Josh Jacobs and Jayden Reed.

That Love is “doing better” would suggest he’s got a decent chance to play but, again, all concussions are different. A couple weeks ago, linebacker Kristian Welch suffered a concussion in the home game against Chicago and played the following week against Denver. Last week, tight end Josh Whyle suffered a concussion against Denver and didn’t practice at all and was inactive at Chicago.

If Love can’t progress through the concussion protocol, Willis would get the start. Last year, the Packers traded for Willis at the end of training camp and, in short order, he started victories against Tennessee and Indianapolis. He had 120-plus passer ratings in each game.

Including replacing Love for a series at the Giants last month, Willis in 10 appearances for the Packers has completed 76.5 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 132.2 passer rating.

More than just a passer, Willis is a dual-threat quarterback, though an injured shoulder could make him more of a traditional pocket passer and eliminate a significant strength to his game.

“I think he’s done a hell of a job,” LaFleur said. “I think we’ve all seen it, right? When he’s gone in there, we’ve been able to move the football, we’ve won games with him as the starter, so we’ve got a ton of confidence in him and his ability to go in there and win a game if need be.”

Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis (2) runs for a first down against Chicago Bears defensive end Dominique Robinson. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Willis has to start on Saturday, it would be in a big moment with Green Bay fighting for the playoffs. However, it was a big moment against the Bears, with first place in the NFC North on the line. Willis was 9-of-11 passing for 121 yards and ran the ball 10 times for 44 yards. He completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs and hit Jayden Reed for 31 in overtime.

“What’s so cool about it – and I don’t know if you guys get the feel on gameday when you’re watching it – is just how even-keel he is,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think his heartbeat even goes up a blip when it’s all of a sudden, ‘Hey, grab your helmet, you’re going into the game.’ He is just as steady as they come, and I think that’s a hell of a trait to have because I think most of us probably would be a little bit different in that situation.”

The overtime drive was rendered null and void, though, when Willis fumbled the snap on fourth-and-1.

“It’s unfortunate,” he said after the game. “You take it one play at a time, and that play, ultimately, it decided the game. It didn’t give us a chance to get points. It didn’t give us a chance to help the defense out and keep them over there on the sideline, let them rest up and get ready for their final drive. It kind of flipped the game on its head.”

Last week, Willis spent the week emulating Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. During the game, he ended up going head-to-head against Williams.

That’s the life of a backup quarterback, though. There’s only so much practice time, so those reps with the No. 1 offense go to Love.

Willis made the best of it, though, just like he did against the Giants last month and in his opportunities last year.

“It’s a part of the job description,” Willis said. “You’re not going to get the reps. We only have so much time to practice. The guy that’s going to be in there the most needs to get those reps. You just try to do what you can and take the mental reps, and if you got to get extra reps after practice or whenever we’re individually, you take those reps as serious as you can, because you don’t know when you know you’re going to be called upon.”

An interesting week awaits. Part of the concussion protocol is practicing, so it’s possible Love will be taking his reps, as usual. Or, maybe not.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Jackson’s availability could be in doubt, too. Ravens coach John Harbaugh called it “a bruise of some kind” and his status might not be known for a few days. Part of that will be additional testing on Monday.

Jackson dove to the turf and got kneed in the back by Patriots defensive back Craig Woodson, who was closing in to make the tackle. Jackson called it “BS,” saying he was in the process of giving himself up.

“My legs felt great,” Jackson said after the game. “I just got kneed in the back in the red zone. I just couldn’t finish the game. I was trying. I [got] a Toradol shot and stuff like that, but it still didn’t get better. Pain. It hurts. [It] hurts.”

Huntley has started 15 games in six seasons, including 10 for Baltimore. The Ravens won four of those games with an 81.7 passer rating. Similar to Willis, Huntley is a dual-threat quarterback with a career average of 4.7 yards per carry and five games with more than 20 rushing yards.

The Vikings have won three in a row with McCarthy. Brosmer, an undrafted rookie from Minnesota, started against Seattle on Nov. 30. The Vikings lost 26-0 as Brosmer was 19-of-30 for 126 yards and four interceptions.

Speaking after the game on Sunday, Willis’ first concern was watching the film, not what the upcoming week might look like.

“You look too far ahead, you miss what’s in front of you,” he said. “Try to watch this film and be as honest as I can as far as what I was doing, where I could be better, and then we work together in figuring out what’s best for the team and how we’re going to do this thing.”

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