Quarterback Malik Willis threw 66 passes across 11 regular-season games for the Tennessee Titans without any going for a touchdown. It took the Auburn alumnus three passes with the Green Bay Packers to get his first NFL touchdown pass.
Willis threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks as the Packers took a 10-0 lead against the Indianapolis Colts with 3:18 left in the first quarter on Sunday.
Willis made his fourth NFL start on Sunday because quarterback Jordan Love sustained a knee injury in Green Bay’s season-opening game on Sept. 6 and was designated as a game-day inactive after not practicing during the week.
The Packers traded for Willis the day after the preseason ended, and he practiced with the team for the first time on Aug. 28. Willis played the final two snaps of Green Bay’s 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil.
A third-round selection for the Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft, Willis completed 35-of-66 passes for 350 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 144 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries with the Titans. He started three games as a rookie when Ryan Tannehill was injured.
As Jarrett Stidham’s backup at Auburn, Willis completed 11-of-14 passes for 69 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran for 309 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries in 2017 and 2018. In two seasons at Liberty, Willis completed 377-of-604 passes for 5,107 yards with 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and ran for 1,822 yards and 27 touchdowns on 338 carries.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
