- Malik Willis made a garbled audible on a play against the Colts
- But coach Matt LaFleur explained the move after Sunday’s win.
Packers quarterback Malik Willis refused to throw the ball on a third-down play against the Colts on Sunday, and there’s an ugly reason for it.
At one point in the game, facing a third-and-10, Willis ignored the play and instead ran.
And as Green Bay coach Matt LeFleur revealed after the game, Willis called the confused audible after center Josh Myers vomited on the ball before the snap.
“I asked Malik why he didn’t throw the ball on that third down,” LaFleur began.
“He told me that Josh (Myers) threw up on the ball. I was like, ‘That’s the first time I’ve heard that’… Malik probably didn’t appreciate it.”
Packers center Josh Myers vomited on the ball before a third-down play Sunday.
The strange occurrence prompted quarterback Malik Willis to call an audible and run.
LaFleur added that referee Shawn Hochuli also informed him that Myers had vomited on the ball.
Aside from Myers’ brief stomach upset, it was a good day for Green Bay, which beat the Colts 16-10.
Willis, who replaced the injured Jordan Love, wasn’t asked to throw much but completed 12 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
The Packers relied heavily on their running game during the win, as they racked up 261 rushing yards, including 151 from Josh Jacobs.
That will likely be the game plan in the coming weeks, as Love is said to be aiming to return in Week 5, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Willis was traded to the Packers from the Titans on August 26 for a seventh-round pick.
Willis has only been with the Packers since being traded to Green Bay on Aug. 26, and LaFleur praised him after the game.
“I had a lot to do,” he said. He told reporters.
“And for him to be able to go out and do what he did today, I think that speaks volumes about who he is as a person and the work that he’s put in; I’m very proud of him.”