The Green Bay Packers offense will be led by backup Malik Willis this week, with starting quarterback Jordan Love ruled out for Saturday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after failing to clear the league’s concussion protocol in time to play.
Matt LaFleur has done some of his best coaching with Willis at quarterback, particularly last season when the former third-round pick of the Tennessee Titans was thrust into the starting lineup after just being acquired via trade before the start of the season.
Having Willis under center as opposed to Love changes the complexion of Green Bay’s offense, and a different gameplan will be required.
Throwing the ball early and often looked to be the best way the Packers could have taken advantage of the Ravens defense if Love was playing.
Baltimore only ranks 18th in expected points added (EPA) against the pass defensively, with Green Bay ranking first in the same metric offensively. However, the Packers do not pass the ball anywhere near as often with Willis.
The most passes he threw in a game last year was 19, and even with another year of experience under his belt in LaFleur’s system, he only threw 11 against the Bears a week ago.
The Packers have pivoted to a very run heavy style when Willis has been in the game, which worked well last year, but could be tougher to pull off now.
Firstly, the element of surprise that came with some of Green Bay’s creative run game a season ago is now gone, with Baltimore having plenty of tape on Willis.
Secondly, the Packers have not been running the ball as effectively in general this year. After ranking eighth in EPA per rush last season, they are down to 16th in 2025.
For their part though, the Ravens are not fantastic against the run defensively, ranking 19th in EPA allowed per rush, so the Packers can at least try to replicate some of the rushing success they have had in the past with Willis under center.
Helping their case is the fact Willis is one of the most explosive runners at the quarterback position. He has averaged six yards per carry since the start of last season, which puts him right near the top of the league and is well clear of the 3.8 yards per carry Love has averaged in his career.
Defenses have to account for Willis as a runner, and that can open up more lanes for Green Bay’s running backs. Josh Jacobs does not have an injury designation entering Saturday’s game, and the Packers will certainly need him.
If there is a defense prepared for the threat of a running quarterback though, it is the Ravens, who practice against Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on a daily basis.
Baltimore’s front is not formidable, ranking 23rd in the league in pressure rate, but there is real talent at the second and third level, including Roquan Smith at linebacker and Kyle Hamilton in the secondary. Hamilton is absolutely crucial to any success the Ravens have had on defense.
When Willis has been forced into action, he has done a great job of protecting the ball, and Baltimore is not one of the most ball-hawking defenses in the league, ranking 17th in turnover rate.
That should give the Packers the chance to mount long drives and own the clock, which will be important in this one. That is another area which looks like a potential advantage for Green Bay.
They rank ninth in plays per drive and fifth in average time taken per drive, with Baltimore ranking 27th in plays allowed per drive and 19th in time taken by their opponents.
The final key for Green Bay will be executing in the red zone, which is something they have struggled with in recent games and is an aspect of defense Baltimore excels in.
Only five teams have allowed opponents to convert red zone trips into touchdowns at a lower rate, and the Ravens also rank first in EPA and success rate allowed inside the 20.
Prior to their game against the Broncos, the Packers had fared pretty well in the red zone but had just one touchdown from nine trips in the last two games. They need to play much cleaner football in the red zone this week and be pretty much perfect against this Ravens defense.
In particular, Baltimore really stiffens up against the run once their opponents get near the end zone, ranking first in EPA per rush allowed. On the flipside, the Packers only rank 17th in EPA per rush offensively inside the 20 and have been better passing the ball in those situations.
That could be harder without Love, so LaFleur will need to get creative to help Green Bay’s offense punch the ball into the end zone. Willis has done a great job for the Packers overall, but LaFleur must still call a great game to accentuate his quarterback’s strengths and help them to a win.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Ravens defense scouting report: Can Malik Willis lead Packers to a win?
