The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line has spent the first three weeks taking a beating, and the numbers are ugly. Jordan Love has been hit or sacked 27 times, the most for any quarterback through three games in the last 17 seasons.
That kind of damage doesn’t happen in a vacuum, though. Green Bay has run into a brutal opening stretch of pass rushes, and the next two opponents should offer a little more breathing room.
Week 1 was a trip to Minnesota and a date with a Brian Flores defense that loves to blitz. The Vikings did exactly that, sending extra rushers at Green Bay on almost 80 percent of the Packers’ dropbacks.
Week 2 brought the New York Jets, a front loaded with first-round talent. The Packers held up better in that one, but Love was still under constant pressure.
Then came Atlanta last week, and the Falcons made life difficult in a different way. They entered the game ranked 31st in blitz rate, but still sat inside the top three in pressure rate because of the talent they can bring up front. According to Next Gen Stats, via ESPN’s Mina Kimes, the Falcons generated 15 “quick pressures” on Love, the second-highest total of the NFL season behind only Minnesota’s Week 1 performance against Green Bay.
None of that erases what the Packers’ line has done poorly so far. The blocking has been shaky in both the run and pass game, and the talent issue is real. But the schedule has not exactly been friendly either.
That’s what makes the next two weeks so important. Green Bay faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears, with a chance to get back on track and possibly do it with some reinforcements. The Packers have signed Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton, and both could be available to help.
The matchup numbers at least point to a softer landing. According to PFF’s grades, via Packers Wire’s Zach Kruse, Tampa Bay is the second-worst pass-rushing team in the league through three weeks, with a 30.8 percent pressure rate. Chicago is even lower, sitting last at 28.4 percent.
That should be welcome news for an offensive line that has spent most of September giving ground. Still, Green Bay has to show it can actually handle even a struggling pass rush.
If it can’t do that over the next two games, the outlook gets bleak fast. But on paper, the Packers finally have a stretch that gives the unit a real chance to settle in and stop the slide.
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 O-Line Issues Forced Gutekunst To Finally Act
After the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Brian Gutekunst finally said out loud what has been obvious for weeks: the Packers offensive line was in trouble. Injuries and uneven play up front have helped drag down the run game and left Jordan Love taking too many hits, turning a preseason concern into a real in-season problem for Green Bay.
Gutekunsts first move was to bring in veteran guard Laken Tomlinson from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, a clear sign the Packers are trying to patch things before the damage gets worse. Whether one addition is enough to stabilize a line that has already been through so much is still the bigger question hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]