Malik Willis won’t find out until Sunday afternoon if he’ll make his third start of the season for Green Bay, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday afternoon.

Quarterback Jordan Love has a groin injury. He practiced on a limited basis on Thursday and Friday and has a questionable designation for his participation status in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

“I think we’re going to do it how we always do it,” LaFleur said. “We’ll give him up to game time to see how he’s feeling.”

Obtained in a trade with the Tennessee Titans on Aug. 26, Willis had to jump into the Green Bay starting lineup for the second and third games of the season, and the Packers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 on Sept. 15 and Titans 30-14 on Sept. 22.

On Sunday, Willis took the reins of the Green Bay offense when Love left with 11:41 remaining in the third quarter. The Packers scored two touchdowns and kicked a field goal on the game’s final play during Willis’ time on the field during a 30-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“You just got to be able to be ready when the time comes and work hard each day to get better,” Willis said. “I feel like that’s more important than being confident by a couple wins. I mean, these are different teams. Each team is different, and each game is its own game.”

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Willis said he’s not thinking about how his success standing in for Love could change his career trajectory.

“I think it’s cool,” Willis said on Wednesday. “It’s fun. I like football. … I mean, we still got a lot of games left in this season. We got a game next week against a really good opponent. I feel like that’s what we got to focus on right now, and anything more than that is pride.”

The former Auburn quarterback was a third-round selection from Liberty in the 2022 NFL Draft. In two seasons with Tennessee, he played in 11 games (with three starts), completed 35-of-66 passes for 350 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions and ran for 114 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries. Since joining Green Bay, Willis has completed 29-of-39 passes for 380 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and run for 137 yards and one touchdown on 16 carries.

“You got to know what you’re doing,” Willis said about the difference in his stats. “You only can do that by getting reps. …

“I got reps when I got here, and I got a chance to go out and show it. And over the last few years, I’ve been getting reps, whether they be on scout team or whatever. You’re going against one of the top — they were the top defense last year, Tennessee. So, I mean, more than anything, just taking those each and every day.”

Willis also thinks persevering in Tennessee has helped him be more productive in Green Bay.

“I feel like those past times were more important than any times I’m going to have in the future, more than anything,” Willis said. “Those times build your faith, literally. I mean, when it’s easy and all going good, you’re not as locked into those things. You’re not even thinking about it. But when those times are hard and you don’t have anybody picking you up, it’s like: What can you lean on? And I found what I can lean on, and I can trust in that regardless — good, better, indifferent — so I don’t look at it, like, as a results basis.

“Sometimes the media may take this, like, you lose, you’re the worst in the world; you win, you’re the best in the world. I kind of just erase both of those and just go out there and have fun and enjoy this opportunity and this platform that God’s given me and try to give him all the glory.”

With the Lions at 6-1 and the Packers at 6-2, the teams will battle for the lead in the NFC North at 3:25 p.m. CST Sunday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

“They’re just doing a good job getting the ball out,” Willis said of Detroit’s defense. “I mean, they’re a good defense as far as you can see. More than anything, they’re winning games, and I feel like that comes from them taking the ball away. And we have to protect the ball as always. I feel like they have a good rush up front. I know they are down a few guys, and we hate to see that. But they’re definitely still good.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.