Nobody sounds less confident in Malik Willis than Matt LaFleur

The Green Bay Packers were dealt a brutal blow when Jordan Love injured his knee on a last-second hit in Friday's 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the worst possible ending to a disappointing night, and it left the Packers fandom in a state of panic after video emerged of a visible tremor in Love's left knee.

In the end, Love avoided the worst-case outcome. He suffered an MCL sprain, which threatens to keep him sidelined for a few weeks at most. It's still less than ideal for the Packers, though, who are without their $220 million quarterback for an essential early-season stretch. It will be far more difficult to bounce back from Friday's defeat without their star signal-caller.

Green Bay will turn to the recently acquired Malik Willis in Love's absence. A former Tennessee Titans third-round pick, Willis arrived via trade less than two weeks before the regular season. He took over backup QB duties from Sean Clifford, who was subsequently reallocated to the Packers' practice squad.

Willis was the victim of a deep QB room in Tennessee, where Will Levis and Mason Rudolph occupy the top two slots in the depth chart. The Packers happen to face Green Bay in Week 3, so there's a chance for Willis to exact his revenge. The 25-year-old never saw much playing time in Tennessee, making 11 appearances and three starts across two seasons.

That said, the Packers really don't want to play Willis unless absolutely necessary. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur made that abundantly clear in his latest comments to reporters.

Malik Willis will start for Packers if Jordan Love can't suit up in Week 2

Of course, the Packers want Jordan Love to start. That much is undeniable. But, it's hard not to feel a twinge of disrespect for Willis nestled within LaFleur's framing here. Green Bay initially considered starting notorious preseason underperformer Sean Clifford instead. It's clear confidence is low and the Packers are going out of their way to tease a potential quick turnaround for Love, despite the initial injury timeline of 3-to-6 weeks. The Packers' starting quarterback wasn't even placed on the IR.

This is probably nothing, but it's telling how unexcited the Packers are by the prospect of Willis starting games. This isn't a "hey, we're really confident in Malik," or "we feel like we have Jordan 2.0 lined up." The Packers are simply going through the motions and begrudgingly elevating Willis to the starting gig for lack of a better option.

It's unclear how Willis will handle this sudden ascent in an offense he's only just starting to learn. With prototypical size and excellent mobility, Willis brings some desirable traits to the QB position. The hope will be that he can adequately test defenses and keep LaFleur's productive system afloat until the more prolific Love is back. Expectations won't be very high, but Willis' lack of experience almost plays as a double-edged sword. We don't know what to expect, so it could be terrible, but it could also be pleasantly surprising.

Green Bay doesn't have much of an alternative option here, unless we start roping in Ryan Tannehill or other past-prime free agents. Clifford doesn't pass the smell test. As such, the Packers are stuck with Willis until Love can return, which probably won't be this weekend.