The spotlight in Green Bay’s Thursday night home opener isn’t on the biggest names in the huddle. It’s on the men in front of Jordan Love.
That’s the matchup that could define how the Packers handle Atlanta at Lambeau Field, because Green Bay is still sorting out its offensive line after a rough stretch of injuries. Starting guard Aaron Banks is out with knee and toe injuries, and tackle Zach Bako-Bewele has also been ruled out with a knee injury. The final injury report also lists receiver Jayden Reed and defensive tackle Warren Brinson as out.
The Falcons kick off against the Packers at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video, and the first few snaps up front should tell plenty about how ready Green Bay is to settle things down after last Sunday’s disruptions.
The Packers already got a preview of the problem against the Jets. Banks left that game in the second quarter and never came back.
Donovan Jennings stepped in first, then later exited with a hand injury. Jennings doesn’t carry a game-status designation for Thursday, which means he is available.
Bako-Bewele’s replacement against New York was Anthony Belton. Belton showed up on this week’s injury report with an elbow issue, but he was upgraded to full participation Wednesday and was not given a game designation.
That at least gives Green Bay some familiarity with the reshuffled group. It is a better setup than walking into Thursday with two fresh replacement jobs and nobody having just handled them. Still, a short week leaves very little room to build the kind of cohesion an offensive line needs.
And that matters for Love. He’ll need clean communication from the line, especially if Atlanta starts mixing up its rush.
The concern isn’t only sacks. Pressure can change a throw, shut down a running lane, or put the offense behind the sticks and into a bad third down.
Green Bay’s front has its own injury questions, too. Defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Anthony Campbell are questionable.
Hargrave is dealing with knee and concussion issues, while Campbell is listed with an ankle injury. Their status will affect how the Packers rotate along the defensive line against Atlanta.
So Thursday becomes a test of adaptability for Green Bay on both sides of the ball. The coaches have limited time to adjust. The players stepping in get a chance to show last Sunday’s chaos doesn’t have to carry over.
Maybe the most important battle won’t come on the perimeter at all. It might be the first few plays in front of Love.
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