Jordan Love The Green Bay Packers may be poised to welcome back their starting quarterback, Jordan Love, earlier than expected. Love, who sustained a knee injury on September 6 during the team’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil, returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since the incident. There’s a chance he could be ready to take the field this Sunday when the Packers face off against the struggling Tennessee Titans in Nashville.
Should Love be unable to play again, it will set the stage for a compelling matchup featuring Malik Willis, the Titans’ backup quarterback, against the franchise that originally drafted him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After being traded to the Packers just last month, Willis stepped in admirably during last week’s game, leading Green Bay to a narrow 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. He completed 12 of his 14 passes for 122 yards and threw a touchdown, showcasing both his arm and his mobility by rushing for 41 yards on six attempts. His performance resulted in an impressive passer rating of 126.8, significantly higher than his career average of 49.4 before this game.
Reflecting on his unexpected change of scenery, Willis expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying, “Things happened. So I’m here now and grateful to coach (Matt LaFleur) and the GM and everybody who’s a part of this.” His time with the Titans had been rocky; he appeared in 11 games over parts of two seasons but struggled to find his rhythm. With a completion rate of just 35 out of 66 passes, totaling 350 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions, it was clear that his tenure in Tennessee had reached its end when coach Mike Vrabel decided to start rookie Will Levis last October.
Levis had shown promise during the latter part of the previous season, even though the Titans fell short of the playoffs. His solid performance earned him the starting role for this year, and Willis now finds himself in a position to help the Packers achieve a 2-1 record, should he be called upon again. Reflecting on his surprise trade, he admitted, “I didn’t wake up thinking I was going to be traded. So it definitely caught me by surprise… It’s time to go.”
As Willis prepares for the possibility of starting again, it’s clear that Levis is firmly entrenched as the starter in Tennessee. Nevertheless, first-year coach Brian Callahan is keen on seeing Levis improve his decision-making skills, particularly as the Titans have begun the season with an 0-2 record. In the first game of the season against the Chicago Bears, Levis struggled significantly, throwing a game-changing pick-six. However, he bounced back in the following week’s game against the New York Jets. Levis completed 19 of 28 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown, despite making two critical turnovers that hindered the team’s progress.
One of those turnovers came from a poorly timed lateral to Tony Pollard, which turned a potential scoring drive into a fumble. The other mistake was an interception that allowed the Jets to tie the game just before halftime. Despite these setbacks, Callahan praised Levis’s improvement from Week 1 to Week 2, saying, “I’m really pleased with how he played for the most part. I thought Will made a really nice improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.”
As the Titans look to regroup, they aim to get star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins more involved in the offense. Last season, Hopkins, a three-time All-Pro, caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards, marking his seventh season with over 1,000 receiving yards. However, his contributions have been limited in the early stages of this season, with only two catches for 17 yards through the first two games.
In terms of health, the Titans had a relatively light injury report on Wednesday, with only running back Tyjae Spears missing practice due to an ankle issue. Conversely, the Packers were without four players, including guard Elgton Jenkins (illness/glute), tackle Jordan Morgan (shoulder), wide receiver Jayden Reed (calf), and defensive back Carrington Valentine (ankle). As both teams prepare for this crucial matchup, all eyes will be on Love’s recovery and the potential for an exciting showdown in Nashville.