Packers quarterback Jordan Love inactive against Colts

Life in the National Football League without your starting quarterback can be brutal.

The Green Bay Packers will have to navigate those waters today after franchise quarterback Jordan Love was declared unavailable for action against the Indianapolis Colts. Love suffered a strained medial ligament in a Week 1 loss to Philadelphia.

Green Bay was just one of nine teams last season where their preferred starting quarterback made all 17 starts. And since the start of the Matt LaFleur era in 2019, the Packers have had their preferred starting quarterback in 90 of 91 starts.

But today, that will all change, as Malik Willis will be making just his fourth career start. Sean Clifford will serve as the No. 2 quarterback.

“Whether you're No. 2 or No. 3, you just prepare until you get a chance,” Willis said earlier this week. “That's how this league works.”

“There are guys all over the league that have been in positions where they weren't starting or playing and they just kept working and working and working and when they got the opportunity, they were able to capture something good on video. That's all you want to do: capture something good for yourself on video and have the opportunity to go out there and perform the best you can.”

On Wednesday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said the door was “pretty open” for Love to play against the Colts.

Then on Friday, the Packers listed Love's participation as questionable and LaFleur said: “He's doing well, you know. He's got a great attitude, works hard and gets better every day.”

Green Bay downgraded Love's participation on Saturday to questionable and ruled him out on Sunday, meaning Willis now takes the reins.

Willis had a miserable passer rating of 49.4 in his 11 career games with the Titans, completing 35 of 66 passes for 350 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Willis started three times for Tennessee, posting ugly passer ratings of 34.5, 35.4, and 49.0. The Titans also ran the ball on 105 of their 154 offensive plays with Willis, a whopping 68.2%.

Willis fought to make Tennessee's roster this summer when Green Bay viewed him as a better option than Clifford and Michael Pratt and sent a late draft pick to the Titans.

“Malik is a guy that definitely — he's in his third year and he's really made great strides, especially this preseason,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the trade. “It was just an opportunity for us to sign a guy that I think can play not only with his arm but with his legs. I'm excited to get him, get him in the building and see where that goes.”

Willis is a solid athlete and a dual-threat quarterback who is arguably more dangerous with his legs than his arm. The problem is that his accuracy, technique and decision-making have been spotty at best.

So expect the Packers to give Willis plenty of running and passing options, as well as short and intermediate throws, and ask him to take on no more than a managerial role on offense.

“I just think every game is a little different and obviously you have to play to the strengths of your players,” LaFleur said. “So it's our job to do whatever we can to put him in a position to be successful.”

“Whether that's moving starting points or just dropping back straight away, whatever it is, we run game actions every week. So we'll come up with whatever we think gives us the best possible opportunity to move the football.”

Willis said earlier this week that he has been preparing “around the clock” since arriving in Green Bay and is optimistic that he can perform better than he did in Tennessee.