Jordan Love got hit just twice on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and that’s not by accident. The Green Bay Packers rolled out some major changes to their offensive line in Week 4, leading to their best pass protection day of the season. They needed to do something different, and it looks like they found a way to keep Love clean, at least for one game.
O-Line Shuffle Pays Off Big Time
The biggest surprise, or maybe not given what LaFleur said, was the overhaul on the offensive line. Laken Tomlinson stepped up as left guard, and Travis Glover slotted in at right guard. These moves pushed Donovan Jennings and Jacob Monk out of their spots. Head coach Matt LaFleur was clear after the game, he wanted “bigger bodies” in front of Jordan Love to protect him, and man, did it work out.
The stats don’t lie. The Buccaneers came into this game with the 4th-highest blitz rate in the entire NFL, hitting opponents with a blitz 44% of the time. But on Sunday? They blitzed Love a measly 17%. That’s a massive drop! And it totally shows up in the Pass Block Win Rate, per ESPN Analytics/NFL Next Gen Stats, where the Packers hit a season-best 53%. Think about that, they were at a miserable 16% before this game. That’s a wild turnaround.
What makes it even crazier is where these “bigger bodies” came from. Glover had been benched for three weeks, just chilling on the sidelines. Tomlinson? He was poached from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad right after their loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Talk about some out-of-nowhere moves! They even had Kevin Zeitler, who they prefer at right guard, as a healthy scratch because he needs more time to ramp up. It seems like the immediate gamble paid off.
Lloyd Steps Up as Brooks Goes Down
While the O-line was figuring things out, the running back room saw its own drama. Chris Brooks actually got the start against the Bucs, but his day ended early in the first half due to an injury. LaFleur didn’t even get asked about Brooks’ injury after the game, which is kinda telling. Before that, MarShawn Lloyd had been splitting touches with Brooks, but once Brooks went out, Lloyd became the clear RB1 for the rest of the game.
The run game itself was a total feast-or-famine situation. They had their best rushing game of the season, but it was really on just two explosive plays. Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks combined for 58 yards on their two longest runs. Take those out, and the other 17 runs from the backs in Week 4 mustered just 27 yards. Not exactly tearing it up there, but Lloyd’s increased workload is definitely a storyline to watch as they move forward. Johnson still got 15 snaps, with Brooks at 10 before he left, and Lloyd led the way with 30.
Other Offensive Snaps and Defensive Shifts
Beyond the big changes up front and in the backfield, the receiver snaps shook out pretty normally for them. Matthew Golden led the way with 50 snaps, followed by Christian Watson at 36, and Skyy Moore with 22. Moore is holding down that slot receiver spot, filling in for the injured Jayden Reed. Bo Melton saw 10 snaps, and J. Michael Sturdivant got just 2. At tight end, Tucker Kraft was out there for 50 snaps, Mark Redman got 25, Josh Whyle had 13, and Jonnu Smith was in for 12.
On defense, the line saw some action too. Karl Brooks led the defensive linemen with 34 snaps, with Javon Hargrave at 28, Chris McClellan at 24, and Devonte Wyatt getting 23 before he dropped out. Jonathan Ford saw 13 snaps.
This Week 4 performance really shows what can happen when a team makes bold adjustments. The focus for them now has to be maintaining this offensive line protection and seeing how MarShawn Lloyd handles the RB1 duties going forward. These early trends are gonna define their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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