GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – The Green Bay Packers acquired Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans for a block of cheese.

And it’s not even the good stuff like 15-year-old cheddar cheese.

Who would have thought the Packers would save their season for the low, low price of a colby?

When the Packers host the Detroit Lions in their biggest game of the season on Sunday, the quarterback matchup could be between Willis and Jared Goff. No, it’s not Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, but numbers are numbers.

Goff is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL this season. Goff, the throw-in of the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Stafford from the Lions to the Rams, is having an MVP-type season.

Goff ranks second among ranked quarterbacks in passer rating (115.3, just behind Lamar Jackson’s 115.4) and first in completion percentage (74.1) and yards per attempt (8.97) .

Willis, who has two wins in starts against the Titans and Jaguars and a relief win against the Jaguars last week after Jordan Love was knocked out with a groin injury, has thrown just 39 passes, so he doesn’t have nearly enough attempts to rank. league leaders.

However, among 42 quarterbacks with at least 39 pass attempts, Willis is first in rating (130.3), first in completion percentage (74.4), first in touchdown percentage (7.7), first in interception percentage (0.0), first in completion percentage (74.4), first in interception percentage (0.0), first in completion percentage (74.4), first in completion percentage (74.4), first in touchdown percentage (7.7), first in interception percentage (0.0), first in completion percentage (74.4), First in yards per game. (9.7) and fifth in yards per completion (13.1).

“Great success,” Love said of Willis’ performances. “He made big plays. Frankly, things were much more difficult for him earlier in the season. He just got here and was still learning the system and things like that.

“Obviously, I was there as a backup. We always say you’re one game away and you never know when that game will come. He did a great job staying ready and staying connected throughout the week and with the game plan. It’s hard not to get a lot of reps in training throughout the week. To go out there and make big plays like that is impressive. “It definitely helped us a lot.”

Willis is enjoying the ride.

“I think it’s great. It’s a lot of fun. I love football,” Willis said with a laugh.

With the Packers blowing a 10-point lead last week, it was up to Willis to save them from an embarrassing and momentum-killing loss to the Jaguars.

Willis played with the calmness of a seasoned sage, not a 25-year-old who entered the day with 100 career pass attempts.

“I just try not to lean on myself. I rely on my faith,” he said. “God is always with me, so I just try to rely on the truth because I know I can’t do this alone any other time. Why am I going to try to do this (alone) in one of the biggest moments, you know? Here This.”

Willis is one of the stories of the NFL season. A third-round pick by the Titans in 2022, he started three games as a rookie. He completed 50.8 percent of his passes with zero touchdowns, three interceptions and a 42.8 rating.

He threw for 276 yards on 61 pass attempts in 2022. He threw for 380 yards on 39 attempts in 2024 and scored the first three touchdowns of his career.

If he starts against the mighty Lions, he’ll rely on all that experience, good and bad.

“I feel like the times past are more important than any time I will experience in the future,” he said. “More than anything, these times literally build your faith. When everything is easy and everything is going well, you don’t get so hung up on these things, you don’t even think about them. But when times are tough and there’s no one to lift you up, what can you rely on?

“I have found something I can trust, and I can rely on it whether it is good, bad or indifferent. So I don’t look at it as results-oriented, as sometimes the media can pick it up. ‘Oh, you lose. ‘You are the worst in the world.’ Or you win and become the best in the world. I erase both and just go out there and have fun, enjoy this opportunity and this platform that God has given me and try to give him all the credit.

Goff, meanwhile, is having a season for the ages. Detroit is 6-1, the best record in the NFC, due in large part to its efficient and explosive play.

In what might be the most implausible statistic imaginable, the Lions have conceded 24 offensive touchdowns and only 20 incomplete passes in the last five games.

Goff is the ringleader.

“They are one of the most explosive offenses in the league,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think (Lions offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson does an incredible job of getting his guys in position. They have one of the best offensive lines in football. I think Jared Goff plays as well as anyone. And whether it’s Amon-Ra (St. Brown) or (Sam) LaPorta, there are guns around him. They have two great running backs.

“They have a lot of playmakers on offense. Good plan plus players usually equals pretty good results.

Last week, Goff became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 72 percent of his passes with multiple touchdowns and a 110-plus passer rating in five consecutive games.

He has the highest completion percentage (83.0) and passer rating (146.5) in NFL history during that span.

“You just keep working and try to keep doing what we’re doing,” Goff said. Let’s go! podcast. “Of course, you hope everything goes well until it’s over, but we will face some challenges and we will have to overcome them. That’s the hard part, getting back to work, training well, having another good week and getting ready for Green Bay.”

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