With Jordan Love still dealing with a knee injury, it’s currently unclear who the Packers will start at quarterback when they play the Vikings in Week 4.
That’s why Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell said during his Monday news conference that he’s preparing for both Love and backup Malik Willis, who has helped Green Bay win its last two games.
“I think Malik is doing some great things and Jordan Love is one of the best young quarterbacks in our league. We’ll prepare as if both will play,” O’Connell said, via transcript from the team. “[T]hey are different with Malik in there. At the same time, he made some big-time throws and moved the team. There were chunks on the tape that we’ve got to try to keep off of our tape. Then Jordan’s in there, we’ve seen it firsthand — when he gets into a rhythm and gets going, he’s as talented of a thrower as there is in our league. We got to be prepared for both of them.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur maintained last week that Love was limited in practice and will likely do the same entering Week 4. So that means O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have to be prepared for more scenarios.
“We’re not going to get the benefit of knowing exactly what we’re gonna see so we’ve got to make sure we’ve got a game plan that’s extensive for both those guys,” O’Connell said. “They’ve got a great group of skilled guys, a really good running back, great O-line, pretty special group.”
The Vikings will head to Wisconsin this weekend for the first of two matchups between Minnesota and Green Bay in 2024.