Will history repeat itself in 2025? Brett Favre won the only Super Bowl of his career in 1996, after playing 5 seasons in the league. His successor, Aaron Rodgers, is still in contention for another trophy. But to date, his lone trophy also came in his 6th playing year, which was in 2010. Now it’s Jordan Love aiming to go full throttle this season. Packers HC Matt LaFleur is also hoping for a turnaround this year. But still, some factors are just out of your control. In the preseason opener against the NY Jets, Love injured his thumb. Thankfully, it was his non-playing hand, so he made a quick recovery after the surgery. Though the journey after that is where the struggle lies…

While talking about their plans on August 23, Matt LaFleur did show promise. He revealed that if Love could use his thumb the way he and the team want, they would practice on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this coming week. For those who haven’t checked the Packers’ schedule, they begin their season against the Lions on September 7. So, every day is crucial to raising their preparedness.

Though the 26-year-old sat out the preseason finale along with 18 others, he’s already back on the field. Not fully unleashed, but snapping the ball, moving through 7-on-7s, getting those chemistry reps with his wideouts. The key detail? It’s his left hand. His words show the complete story: “If it was my right hand, it’d be a totally different story.” In other words, he dodged a bullet.

While Matt LaFleur is moving ahead cautiously, his starter is not worried about anything. In fact, he told Kay Adams that he would be rolling in their season opener. But the fans have been waiting for over a decade for the trophy. They know that hope can be crushed in just a moment.

That’s why the coach isn’t ready to just sit and watch. He’s looking into the backup QB Malik Willis.

Matt LaFleur is preparing for life without Jordan Love

Malik Willis isn’t supposed to be the headline in Green Bay. But Saturday night at Lambeau in the preseason finale, Willis got his window. And on one drive, he made it count. It didn’t start pretty, though. His first series ended with an interception. And yet, that’s the thing with Willis; he doesn’t fold. He responded with a 96-yard march that flipped the entire tone of the game. To top that, he had fourteen plays, over seven minutes, capped with a 1-yard touchdown to Romeo Doubs.

While talking to reporters after the game, Matt LaFleur said, “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Malik. I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he can become.” That’s the confidence after watching him dominate the Hawks. The highlight? A 39-yard strike to rookie Matthew Golden that cracked the drive wide open. The gutsy moment? A 4th-and-2 scramble where Willis broke contain, dipped outside, and moved the chains with his legs.

Of course, it wasn’t flawless: 3-of-6 passing for 50 yards, one touchdown, one pick, plus 19 rushing yards. Those numbers don’t say savior. But what do they say? Resilience, playmaking, and the ability to turn chaos into something productive. Traits every coaching staff wants in a backup quarterback, especially when QB1 is rehabbing a hand that’s not yet 100%.

The Packers didn’t draft Willis, Matt LaFleur didn’t groom him from scratch, but Saturday showed why they’re giving him every rep they can. LaFleur’s offense needs a quarterback who can extend drives when structure breaks down. Love is the plan. Willis is the insurance policy. Will things go as per their plan? We will start finding out very soon.