Packers unsure on Week 18 QB after Willis shines

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Even one of the few bright spots from the Green Bay Packers' performance in Saturday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens had an unhappy ending.

Backup quarterback Malik Willis, who started because Jordan Love did not clear concussion protocol, had to leave during his finest performance as a pro because of pain in his ailing right shoulder in the fourth quarter. Willis could have returned after briefly being examined in the locker room, but the game was all but over in the Packers' 41-24 loss.

Green Bay has to decide who will play quarterback in next weekend's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. The Packers already secured their playoff spot and cannot improve their position -- they were locked into the NFC's No. 7 seed as soon as they lost to the Ravens -- and Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur was noncommittal about his approach for Week 18.

Should the Packers focus on getting as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs or seeking some momentum after three straight losses?

"We just want to get him through the protocol," LaFleur said of Love, who suffered a concussion the previous week against the Chicago Bears. "And then we'll have a decision to make."

On a night when Derrick Henry ran for 216 yards and the Ravens finished with 307 rushing yards, Willis was one of the few bright spots for the home team.

Before he left with 7:53 remaining and in the middle of a drive, Willis completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for two touchdowns on read-option plays as part of a nine-carry, 60-yard rushing performance.

LaFleur showed so much confidence in Willis that he opened up the passing game and let his backup throw deep. Willis completed six of his seven passes that traveled 20 or more yards in the air, which tied Aaron Rodgers for the most completions of 20-plus air yards by a Packers quarterback since ESPN began tracking games in 2006.

"I thought it was cool that he trusted me enough to give me an opp," Willis said.

Heading into Saturday's game, Willis barely took any reps in practice. Love received the bulk of the starting quarterback reps because he looked on track to clear the concussion protocol. Willis also missed a day of practice because of an illness that affected much of the team. He injured his shoulder the previous week against the Bears in relief of Love.

With the Packers trailing 34-24 and having just crossed into Ravens territory Saturday night, Willis grabbed his right shoulder after a completion to Christian Watson (five catches, 113 yards, TD). Two plays later, practice squad quarterback Clayton Tune threw a pass that went off Bo Melton's hands and was intercepted.

Willis' future is unlikely to be in Green Bay. He will be a free agent in the offseason and probably will get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere. But in the moment, he wished he could have finished Saturday's game.

"I think that we just got to keep playing ball, and taking it one week at a time," Willis said. "Hopefully, we can get out with a 'W' next week, after looking at this tape and understanding what went wrong, and we can worry about all that stuff after the season."