Brian Gutekunst didn’t need much time after the Packers’ 35-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons to see the problem in front of him. Green Bay’s offensive line had become too shaky to keep ignoring, and the rough night under the lights made that impossible to miss.
The issues were bigger than one injury, even if Zach Bako-Bewele’s season-ending knee injury was part of the picture. The trouble stretched across the line.
Aaron Banks, one of the team’s free-agent splurges from a year ago, showed in August that his health would be a continuing concern. Jacob Monk never looked like a passable guard, no matter how often his “play style” got praised at press conferences.
Jager Burton and Donovan Jennings also failed to stabilize the unit.
The result was an offense that kept stalling out. With linemen missing assignments or simply failing to connect on blocks, the Packers managed only 146 rushing yards over three games, a level of futility only 13 other teams have matched or surpassed in the Super Bowl era.
Protection was just as bad. Green Bay’s line allowed defenders to knock down Jordan Love 30 times through three weeks, putting him on pace for 170 hits over the season. For comparison, Caleb Williams took “only” 106 hits during his rookie year when he nearly broke David Carr’s record for most sacks in a single season.
So with a mini-bye in hand, Gutekunst got to work. By Saturday, he had added veteran guard Laken Tomlinson from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, giving the Packers an experienced interior option and a chance to push one of the struggling linemen out of the mix.
It was a move in the right direction, but only a first step. For Green Bay, the rebuild up front is just getting started.
In Other News...
Packers Fans Face A Frustrating Week 4 TV Problem
The Packers early Week 4 matchup with the Buccaneers comes with an extra wrinkle for fans hoping to watch it the old-fashioned way. FOX is carrying the game, but the broadcast is limited to local TV in Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of Florida, leaving plenty of Packers backers outside those areas scrambling for another way in.
For many viewers, that means turning to NFL Sunday Ticket or finding a bar or restaurant package to catch the game live. FOX will send Jonathan Vilma and Chris Myers to call it, while other booth assignments shift to different games around the league, but the bigger story for Packers fans is simply whether they can find the screen in time. [Read more 🡒]
Packers-Bears Just Lost The Spotlight At Lambeau
The league has pushed the Packers-Bears Week 5 meeting at Lambeau Field into a noon kickoff, moving the rivalry out of its original late-afternoon slot. What was set for 3:25 p.m. Central will now start at 12 p.m., a shift tied to Green Bays slow start and Chicagos quarterback injury, with FOX opting to carry 49ers-Seahawks in the later window instead.
For Green Bay, the timing change still leaves a notable bit of pageantry intact. The Packers are set to debut their new Rivalries uniforms in the game, giving one of the NFLs oldest matchups a fresh look even if it no longer has the spotlight that originally came with the later kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Make Another O-Line Move As Pressure Builds Around Jordan Love
The Packers kept reshaping their offensive line by adding veteran guard Kevin Zeitler on a one-year deal, another clear sign they are trying to steady a group that has not looked up to standard through the first three weeks. Green Bay had already brought in Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton, piling up experienced options as the front office works to give Jordan Love cleaner pockets and get the run game moving with more consistency.
The sequence of moves says plenty about where the urgency sits right now. Protection has been an issue, the offense has felt it, and the Packers are responding with a veteran-heavy approach that should at least raise the floor up front. Whether this collection of linemen is enough to settle the line for good is the next question, and it is one Green Bay can not avoid for much longer. [Read more 🡒]