Heading into Saturday’s Week 17 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, the Green Bay Packers had to turn to backup quarterback Malik Willis with star signal-caller Jordan Love still in concussion protocol.
Fortunately for Green Bay, Willis was able to hold his own against the Ravens, putting on a show with both his arm and his legs, at times resembling superstar Lamar Jackson during this game.
Unfortunately, Willis’ impressive performance while taking over for Love wasn’t enough to get the best of a Ravens squad that was firing on all cylinders in their run game, with Derrick Henry erupting for 212 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Malik Willis Admits One Big Regret During Loss to Ravens
GettyMalik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers
With the Packers down 10, Willis made his way back to the locker room to get his shoulder checked out after feeling a tweak following a pass to star wide receiver Christian Watson.
“I just felt a little tweak,” Willis said. “I think all the treatment had me feeling good and I think a little soreness just built up to that point in the game. I slid and kind of hit it a little bit and, on that throw, I kind of threw it all arm and I kind of felt it a little bit.”
Although it was a precautionary measure for the Packers’ quarterback, he admits to regretting not getting his shoulder looked at during halftime, as Green Bay was unable to recover without him on the field.
“I should’ve just got it checked at halftime, just in case to make sure everything was everything,” Willis said. “But you just hate to leave in the middle of a drive, obviously, as well as it was going. We could’ve got three or seven. We could’ve made it a one-possession game; maybe the defense gets a stop.
“We don’t get into ifs and buts, that’s just the way it went. It’s unfortunate, obviously.”
Willis was magnificent during his time on the field, as he completed 18 of his 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown pass to Watson. He was also a menace running the football, even though the Packers’ running backs couldn’t get anything done on the ground.
The backup quarterback finished the game with 60 rushing yards on nine carries, with two rushing touchdowns to his credit, which is impressive, to say the least.
Willis Improves Chances of Landing Starting Job in NFL Free Agency
GettyMalik Willis #2 of the Green Bay Packers
As a result of Willis’ incredible performance, the 26-year-old has drastically improved his chances of landing a starting job through NFL free agency during the offseason. He actually made NFL history with Saturday’s performance, according to Bill Huber of SI.com.
With free agency looming after the season, Willis became the first player in NFL history with 275-plus passing yards, a completion rate of 85-plus percent (85.7 percent), one touchdown pass, 60-plus rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns.
There’s no question that this game against the Ravens will pique the interest of teams looking for a quarterback during the upcoming NFL offseason, and Willis seems to know that fact.
“I think that what you put on tape is your pitch to other teams,” Willis said of his uncertain future. “Obviously, any opportunity, it will be a blessing, and you want to think about that type of stuff, but can’t worry about tomorrow. Today has enough problems of its own. We’ve got to figure out how to get back on track here.”
It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for Willis, but it is safe to say he has helped his case to land a starting job in the league moving forward.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Packers QB Malik Willis Admits Major Regret After Leaving Game With Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.