Paul Bretl | 9/24/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — One of the more impressive–and important–feats that Malik Willis has accomplished while starting at quarterback for the Packers has been his ability to take care of the football in these two games.
“He’s done a really nice job in that regard,” said Matt LaFleur about Willis’ command of the offense. “I think it’s a credit to the other 10 guys in the huddle, as well, just knowing the offense because sometimes things can get crazy on gameday.”
On 33 pass attempts against Indianapolis and Tennessee, Willis has been extremely efficient, completing 73 percent of those passes at 9.7 yards per attempt, with of course, no interceptions.
But beyond not throwing any picks, by PFF’s metrics, Willis hasn’t even had a throw that’s been deemed turnover-worthy. For some perspective, of the 35 quarterbacks through three games who have had at least 29 dropbacks, Willis is one of three, including Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers, without a turnover-worthy throw.
Willis’ ability to take care of the football has, in return, given Matt LaFleur the confidence to open up the passing game, knowing that the ball won’t be put in danger. A key contributor to the Packers’ offensive success against the Titans was the offense’s ability to generate several explosive pass plays, along with Willis converting some key third-and-long situations.
“I mean that’s, that is the number one job of the quarterback, take care of the football and he’s done a great job of not putting it in harm’s way,” said LaFleur after the win in Tennessee. “And quite frankly that’s allowed us, and given us confidence to open some of the things up.
“To come out and throw a pass on the first play of the game, anticipating they’d be geared up for a run, and to get that big explosion play to J-Reed I thought really set us off.”
We learned post-game from Willis that the Packers have weekly meetings where the sole focus is on taking care of the ball and stressing the need to win the turnover battle.
However, we all know that the ball is life in the NFL and taking care of it is important. It’s certainly one thing to say that, to discuss it, and to stress the importance of it, but going out on the field and executing that is a completely different story.
Given the nature of the NFL, along with the circumstances Willis found himself in, having just arrived in Green Bay several weeks ago, one could assume that the ball might end up in the hands of a defender or at least there be an opportunity for the opponent to make a play on the football–whether that be from an errant throw or a poor decision.
But, as highlighted above, that hasn’t been the case whatsoever. That’s a credit to LaFleur and the coaching staff for putting together a game-plan that Willis has been able to execute, and of course, it’s a huge credit to Willis for not putting the ball in harm’s way.
Willis’ success with protecting the ball shows a quarterback who knows the ins-and-outs of the game-plan, specifically knowing when is the right time to push the ball based on the coverage look he’s getting and when to tuck it and run. Or, to put it another way, taking what the defense is giving him. The zero turnover-worthy throws is also a nod to Willis’ ability as a passer, putting the ball where he needs to.
“More than anything, it’s a testament to Coach LaFleur and all the other coaches,” said Willis about taking care of the ball. “We have a ball meeting, and we talk about what’s a key component to winning ballgames, and more than anything, it’s the turnover differential. And I think that he does a great job of just showing us the importance of the ball and keeping it and being plus on the turnover margin. I think we just try and focus on that, and that’s throughout the team.”
If you can win the turnover battle, you have a good chance of winning the game, and the Packers’ ability to do that the last two weeks has been instrumental in winning these games. Defensively, it takes points off the board and can often result in good field position, while for the offense, it leads to additional possessions and opportunities to put up points.