After the Green Bay Packers’ Week 1 loss in Minnesota, the cleanest takeaway may not be about the collapse itself. It may be about how the offense lined up.
For all the chaos in that game, the Packers repeatedly showed something that could matter far beyond one ugly Sunday: a heavier tight end approach that looked less like a one-off adjustment and more like a real part of what they want to be in 2026.
That matters because the game was a mess in ways that make simple conclusions tough. It was the first week of the season, when teams are still sorting out who they are.
It was also the first game for some players who clearly weren’t fully ramped up physically. Javon Hargrave, Green Bay’s new interior addition, had not taken a preseason snap before his debut on Sunday.
With fewer preseason games, fewer offseason practices and fewer padded reps, players just do not arrive at Week 1 the way they used to.
Then there was the quarterback chaos on the other side. Minnesota’s situation went from messy to strange, with Kyler Murray forcing Green Bay to defend a quarterback unlike the norm because of his height, pocket movement and creativity outside the pocket.
Then Murray got hurt, and Carson Wentz took over. That kind of switch changes what a defense is dealing with, and it makes any game-plan read a little muddy.
But Brian Flores also turned the Packers’ protection problems into a full-blown storm. Minnesota blitzed on 73 percent of all passing downs, 47.2 percent higher than the league average. No team in Week 1 came close to that level of pressure, and it shredded Green Bay’s offense.
Even with all of that noise, the Packers’ personnel usage stood out. Green Bay signed veteran Jonnu Smith and traded for blocking tight end Mark Redman just before roster cutdown, and those moves now look like a clear signal that the team wanted the option to go heavier.
I expected the Packers to keep leaning on 11 personnel, the standard one running back, one tight end and three receiver look, especially with Christian Watson, Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed on the field together. But the Week 1 numbers tell a different story.
Per Sumer Sports, Green Bay used 11 personnel on 47 percent of its plays, which was eight percent below the league average. The Packers were in 12 personnel on 31 percent of snaps, 9.5 percent above the league average, and they lined up in 13 personnel 15 percent of the time, six percent above the league average.
That 13 personnel rate would have ranked second in the NFL last season.
What makes this feel more meaningful is that the usage stayed steady from start to finish. It was not just a reaction to the pass rush getting out of control. The difference between the first and second halves was under one percent for 11 and 13 personnel, and only three percent for 12.
The heavier looks also paid off in the passing game at times, with big plays from Smith and Tucker Kraft. If Green Bay wants to use the tight ends to help Jordan Love, that only strengthens the case for keeping these formations in the mix.
Multi-tight end sets are already becoming a bigger part of the league, and even the Los Angeles Rams, who helped push that style last season, used them at a much higher rate in Week 1. For Green Bay, it may be less a temporary fix than a direction. And as the Packers try to bounce back on the road against the New York Jets, it looks like a part of the offense worth watching closely.
In Other News...
Javon Hargrave Already Has Packers Fans Worried About His Role
Javon Hargraves first game in Green Bay gave Packers fans plenty to monitor along the defensive front. In Week 1, he played 30 snaps, finished with one tackle and did not register a pressure, while the Packers leaned on a by-committee rotation across the defensive line. Karl Brooks got the start at defensive end over Hargrave, which added another wrinkle to a unit still sorting out how it wants to deploy its pieces.
For a player brought in with bigger expectations, the opening usage looked more restrained than many around the team probably imagined. It is still far too early to make any firm judgments, but the snap count and the way Green Bay distributed work up front suggest Hargrave may have a more limited role than expected unless the rotation shifts in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Sent A Clear Message About O-Line Depth
The Packers added another piece to their offensive line room this week, signing Cordell Volson to the practice squad after he worked out with the team. Volson arrives with NFL experience after originally being drafted by the Bengals, and he spent part of this offseason with the Titans before not making their final roster.
Green Bay has been active in using the practice squad to build depth with outside additions, and Volsons signing is part of that wider approach. For a team that has spent the season keeping an eye on its protection options, every extra lineman on hand matters, especially when the front office is clearly making sure there are workable answers if the need arises. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Love Already Has Packers Fans Debating One Week 1 Problem
Week 1 brought an early quarterback sorting exercise in the NFC North, and Jordan Love landed in the middle of the conversation for all the usual reasons. The Packers quarterback put up plenty of yardage even while dealing with pressure, but the kind of up-and-down start that can define an opening game still left people weighing the good against the bad. In a division where every quarterback performance gets scrutinized quickly, Loves debut did enough to keep Green Bay fans talking.
The broader ranking also had plenty of moving parts, from Carson Wentz making an effective relief appearance for the Vikings to Jared Goff turning in a mixed outing for the Lions and Caleb Williams getting off to a strong start for the Bears. The list is meant to be fluid and shaped by both recent play and career body of work, which is why Loves spot feels more like an early checkpoint than a verdict. For Packers fans, the question now is whether the Week 1 pressure points were just an opening hiccup or the first sign of something more familiar. [Read more 🡒]