Nineteen days after the Green Bay Packers acquired Malik Willis, the former Tennessee Titans quarterback took on a starting role and helped the Packers defeat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Willis said he found out Saturday he was starting in place of Jordan Love (knee). A day later, Willis completed 12 of 14 passes, averaged 8.7 yards per attempt, threw a third-down touchdown pass, ran for 41 yards and didn’t have a turnover or sack in the Packers’ 16-10 win over the Colts in the home opener. His passer rating was 126.8.

Executing the offense — which featured complex run calls — was tough enough. While Willis didn’t have to do much as a passer, he got the Packers in and out of the huddle, made plays that were available and avoided mistakes.

“I don’t think you guys can appreciate or even understand the job that Malk Willis… this guy came in here three weeks ago,” coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday. “For him to go out there and run our offense, we still had a lot of long calls, we had shifts, motions, a lot of different run schemes. He had a lot on his plate. And for him to go out there and do what he did today, I think says a lot about who he is as a person and the work that he’s put in. I’m just super proud of him.”

While the Packers ran the ball at will early on, the quarterback still had to make plays. Willis hit Dontayvion Wicks for a 14-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-4, beating Kenny Moore on a breakout route. He later found Tucker Kraft for 17 yards and Romeo Doubs for 39 yards to convert third downs on scoring drives.

By the end of the game, the Packers had 53 rushing attempts and just 14 passing attempts, bringing back memories of the relentless game plan the San Francisco 49ers used to defeat the Packers in the 2019 NFC title game. LaFleur protected Willis with a consistently dominant, ball-controlling run game, and the Packers defense — which didn’t allow a run until deep in the third quarter — played its part by not putting any extra pressure on the offense. When the situation called for it, Willis threw in a few big plays.

It takes months, if not years, to fully learn a new offense. Willis, who spent the summer trying to win the backup job at Tennessee, arrived in Green Bay 10 days before the season opener and 19 days before his first start. With a week of first-team reps to prepare for Sunday, Willis played fast and under control, despite calling and executing a tight game plan that included a ton of new run concepts.

The Packers had 10 possessions on Sunday: four ended in scores, one ended in a fumble on the goal line, one ended the first half and one ended in a missed field goal. The offense went three-and-out only twice. If Josh Jacobs hadn’t fumbled on the third possession and Brayden Narveson had made a 45-yard field goal, the Packers would have scored 26 points and likely earned a comfortable victory.

Willis, above all, did what every backup quarterback must do to help a team win a football game: he avoided the mistakes that can change the game and lose games, and he made sure all the talent around him got the much-needed win.

The Packers had a big question mark over their backup quarterback in 2024. Could Sean Clifford or Michael Pratt win a game if Love were out? The Packers didn’t know the answer, so they went out and got Willis on the final cuts. It didn’t take long for the move to pay off.