He Green Bay Packers They might have found a way to avoid what would have been a disastrous loss against the now 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars, but their victory came at a price as their star quarterback, Jordan Love, suffered a groin injury and had to leave the game prematurely.

Fortunately, love prevented serious injury and there’s a chance to play in Green Bay’s huge Week 9 game against the NFC North leader. Detroit Lions. However, whether that will happen remains to be seen.

If Love can’t play, that would mean backup quarterback Malik Willis would step in and start against Detroit. If that’s what ends up happening, this start could have a big impact on Willis’ future with the Packers and the NFL in general.

Receiving a starting job is nothing new for Willis, who has already appeared in four games and started two in his first season with Green Bay. Those two starts came in Weeks 2 and 3 of this season, and Willis led the Packers to victory about the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans.

He wasn’t asked to do much, but when coach Matt LaFleur wanted Willis to throw the ball, he was impressive, completing 25 of his 33 passes (75.8 percent) for 324 yards and two touchdowns without an interception as a starter. That kind of efficiency, combined with his dynamic running ability (114 rushing yards on 12 attempts) made Willis especially intriguing.

While he looked impressive, it’s worth noting that he played against a Colts team that simply benched their starting quarterback, and against the 1-6 Titans, so he didn’t exactly beat the cream of the crop in the NFL. However, an impressive performance against this Lions team would be something else.

What if Willis starts and leads the Packers to a victory over the Lions, putting Green Bay in first place in the NFC North? Not only would that be great for the 2024 Packers, obviously, but it could mean a lot for Willis’ future.

He’s already proven that he can be trusted as a backup quarterback, but beating this Lions team that looks like one of the best, if not the best, team in the NFL right now would be something else. That type of win could lead other NFL teams to consider him a starting-caliber quarterback.

Now, the Packers are committed to Love (rightly so) for the long term thanks to the offseason extension, but Willis is only under contract through the 2025 season. The Packers can trade him this offseason to a team in need of a quarterback while still getting a decent return, or Willis can just be the backup through 2025, play well when given the opportunity and cash in as a free agent that offseason.

Willis’ sample of success may be small, but he’s only 25 years old and has immense potential if he can maintain his efficiency as a passer. If he can play well against the Super Bowl-contending Lions, teams around the league could see him as a potential starter, which would be quite a move considering what the Packers gave up acquire it first.