As the Vikings prepare for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, they are doing so without knowing who their biggest rivals are going to start at quarterback.
It’s either going to be franchise quarterback Jordan Love, who is getting close to returning after suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament, or unpredictable quarterback Malik Willis, who has been rather brilliant in relief despite arriving less than a month ago,
“We’ve got to be prepared for both of them,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “We’re not going to get the benefit of knowing exactly what we’re going to see, so we’ve got to make sure we’ve got a game plan that’s extensive for both of them.”
The hardest part for the Vikings is how different the Packers look when Love is in the game compared to when Willis is in.
That’s a testament to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur as he has taken an offense that leans into everything Love can do with his arm and turned it into an offense that takes advantage of everything Willis can do with his legs.
“I don’t think it’s being talked about enough what’s going on over there,” Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores said while praising LaFleur for adapting to the tough circumstances. “This will certainly be a challenge regardless of who the quarterback is.”
The boxscores effectively illustrate the change in approach for the Packers as Love threw 34 times total in a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, while Willis threw 33 times combined in a Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts and a Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans.
It’s more of a spread offense with Love as he drops back and scans the whole field before distributing the ball to his playmakers. It’s more of a read option offense with Willis as he makes decisions at the line of scrimmage before either handing the ball off or keeping it himself.
“It’s challenging because they’re different quarterbacks with different play styles,” Vikings edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel said. “I think Flo is going to have a good game plan for whoever we end up getting.”
Though the Packers are excited and anxious to get Love back in the lineup, Willis deserves a ton of credit for what he has done over the past couple of weeks. Since being thrust into the spotlight after Love went down, Willis has completed 25 of 33 passes for 324 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also recording 12 rushes for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Asked about the logistics of having to game plan for Love and Willis at the same time, Flores said the Vikings are essentially preparing for completely different offenses based on who the Packers start at quarterback.
It’s a balancing act of getting players prepared without inundating them with too much information.
“We’re still working through it right now,” Flores said. “That’s really the challenge.”
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