Every time the Green Bay Packers need Malik Willis, he delivers.
Since arriving in Green Bay, Willis has completed 78.7 percent of his passes for 972 yards, six touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 134.6 rating. He has also rushed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
Willis has played so well, in fact, that it has left many Packers fans wondering if he puts the offense in a better position to succeed than Jordan Love. That topic reached Matt LaFleur's press conference on Sunday, but he shut it down emphatically. There is no quarterback controversy in Green Bay.
"I want to pump the brakes on all that stuff. I think Jordan Love is playing some pretty high-level football, and it's great that we feel the same about Malik and his ability to go in there. He's had two back-to-back outstanding performances, so we're in a good spot with that position," LaFleur said.
"Certainly have a lot of confidence in both those guys, but it's pretty clear that Jordan is our franchise quarterback and, when he is healthy, he is going to be our starter. So I just want to squash all that."
Matt LaFleur confirms there is no quarterback controversy in Green Bay
LaFleur said that Love's "body of work across three years" is why they won't even entertain a change, while also noting that he has "taken his game to another level" this season.
And LaFleur is 100 percent right.
Willis deserves an opportunity to compete for a starting job somewhere in the league, and he'll likely get it when his contract expires in March. But that won't come in Green Bay. Nor should it.
While Willis has proven he can make big-time plays and rarely puts the ball in harm's way, Love is the guy for the Packers. Willis is more limited as a passer than Love, who has elevated his game to an elite level this season.
In 15 games, Love has thrown for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions, good for a 101.2 rating. He has Pro Football Focus's third-highest passing grade, and just a few weeks ago, he had the third-best MVP odds. It's easy to forget just how well Love has played this season.
Willis' ability to extend plays and hurt defenses with designed QB runs gives the Packers' offense something different, but Love is clearly ahead as a pure passer. He makes wow throws look effortless, and the biggest difference this year is his ability to read defenses and make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
In the Week 16 loss to the Chicago Bears, Willis hit Luke Musgrave for 25 yards but missed Christian Watson, who was wide open in the middle of the field. Willis hit his first read for a big gain, so he made a great play, but it's hard to imagine Love missing the chance to hit Watson for a walk-in touchdown.
That's not a criticism of Willis, who has been simply phenomenal from the moment the Packers traded for him. Along with a ridiculously high level of quarterback play, Willis played through a painful shoulder injury on Saturday night and still dominated.
But LaFleur is right. This is Love's team. They paid him $55 million a year for a reason, and Love has been one of the best quarterbacks in football this year.
The question to LaFleur is fair, given how efficient the Packers' offense looks with Willis, but he's 100 percent correct to shut it down. Willis will get an opportunity somewhere in 2026, but Love is QB1 in Green Bay.