It's a little early in the season for a grudge match, but the Green Bay Packers may have one on their hands come Sunday.
The Packers will travel to Nashville to take on the 0-2 Tennessee Titans, a team they know they can beat on paper. But there's also a lot of familiarity at play, thanks to a trade the two teams made just days before the season starts.
Sensing their backup quarterback spot needed improvement, the Packers traded a seventh-round pick to Tennessee for 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis, who had been usurped by Will Levis on the depth chart. Now, as fate would have it, the two signal-callers will face off at Nissan Stadium.
Given that Willis spent two full seasons plus all of training camp in Tennessee, there is sure to be intel exchanged in both team facilities this week. But which side has the leg up before the opening kick?
On Tuesday, Wes Hodkiewicz of NFL.com expressed his opinion that Willis' ability to share useful information on the Titans' defense gave the Packers an early edge.
"Willis practiced against Tennessee's scheme all summer, but I'm guessing he didn't take many reps against the starters since Will Levis was the anointed starter," Hodkiewicz said. Willis was still in all those meetings, though, and I'd imagine has a good grasp of the Titans' holdings on that side of the ball."
In three career starts with Tennessee, Willis threw no touchdowns with three interceptions and managed a 1-2 record. In his first game with Green Bay, however, he had his first career passing touchdown, a superb 12-for-14 passing line, and a 16-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
If there was ever a time to have an encore performance, it's this Sunday for Willis and the Packers. Starter Jordan Love will be back before too long, but Willis has the chance to solidify his long-term role as a stable backup in the NFL, and maybe even another starting shot somewhere down the road.
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