Green Bay’s offensive line is staring down a real test in Week 2, and Matt LaFleur isn’t hiding the urgency.
After a rough opener against Minnesota, the Packers need far more from the group in front of Jordan Love. The run game never got rolling, finishing with 66 yards on 21 carries, and Love took a beating behind it. He was sacked four times for -34 yards and lost two fumbles, with one of those recovered by the Minnesota Vikings defense.
That kind of punishment carries extra weight for Green Bay after Love dealt with injuries last season. It also comes with a changed depth chart behind him: Malik Willis, who was the Packers’ backup a year ago, is now the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.
The issue is even sharper because Green Bay’s offensive line has already been reshuffled. The Packers lost Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker in the offseason, and now the interior of the line could be under even more pressure heading into Sunday’s matchup with the New York Jets.
On Monday, LaFleur said there will be competition this week for starting jobs up front, particularly if Aaron Banks is unable to go while dealing with a knee injury.
“We do need to make sure we find continuity as quickly as possible, that's the problem,” LaFleur said, via Zach Jacobson of The Packer Dispatch. “
“We've had guys in and out of the line, and I'm not making excuses; it is what it is, but you have to find ways to get it done. The more guys play together, typically the better they play together.”
LaFleur pointed out that injuries and lineup changes are part of life around the league, but he also noted that other teams have handled those same kinds of issues better. He mentioned the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears as examples of clubs that dealt with offseason changes and still managed to score and win in Week 1.
For Green Bay, though, the clearest path forward is getting Banks on the field against New York.
“As far as communication is concerned, the more you've had guys that have been in those situations, I think, typically, the guys respond a bit better.”
Whether that message is enough to shake loose a better performance up front will be one of the Packers’ biggest questions this week.
In Other News...
Packers O-Line Issues Just Turned Into A Bigger Coaching Debate
The Packers opening-week loss quickly pushed the offensive line into the center of the conversation, and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich tried to frame the problems as more about communication than anything structural. He said the choice to start Donovan Jennings at left guard came down to what the staff saw in practice, and he also left open the possibility of moving Anthony Belton back to guard as Green Bay continues to search for the right mix up front.
What makes the issue linger is that the discussion has started to bleed beyond the line itself. Stenavich and Matt LaFleur offered different explanations about how Tucker Kraft was used on one particular play, a small detail that points to a larger question about how cleanly the offense is being coached and executed. For a unit already under pressure after Week 1, those kinds of differences matter because they can reveal whether the problem is simply timing, or something deeper. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Jacobs Update Leaves Packers Facing A Serious Off-Field Question
Josh Jacobs has already played a central role in Green Bays offense, but his latest legal resolution puts the Packers in an uncomfortable spot off the field. The running back entered a no contest plea to two misdemeanor charges tied to a domestic disturbance case, resulting in a battery conviction and a $1,000 fine, while the property damage charge was handled through a deferred judgment arrangement.
The remaining issue now centers on what happens with the evidence from the incident itself. The victims legal team has asked to seal surveillance footage related to the case, and the Packers are left monitoring a situation that has moved beyond the courtroom but not fully out of the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Sent A Message Steelers Fans Will Love After Week 1
After Week 1 in Pittsburgh, Aaron Rodgers took a moment to reach across the aisle and salute a familiar face. The former Packers quarterback sent ZaDarius Smith a handwritten note after the Steelers game against the Falcons, praising the veteran pass rushers energy and the way he worked his way back into the action.
Rodgers and Smith spent three seasons together in Green Bay, so the message carried the kind of respect that usually comes from shared locker rooms and a few battles together. Smith had only recently signed with Atlanta after a brief retirement, and he played through a shoulder issue in the opener, a detail Steelers fans will appreciate even if the note itself was aimed at an old teammate. [Read more 🡒]