Losing 20-17 to the Detroit Lions in Week 7 was a tough pill to swallow for the Green Bay Packers, but what’s really gut-wrenching are the numbers showing how their offensive line turned a middle-of-the-road pass rush into one of the league’s best. Courtesy of SumerSports, these stats paint a clear picture: the line is still struggling, big time.
Offensive Line Meltdown
Jordan Love found himself under pressure on 37.0% of his dropbacks in this game, which is basically what the Lions average on the season, 36.7%. So far, so normal, right? Not even close. The Lions usually average 2.65 seconds to pressure, ranking them 16th in the league. But against the Packers? They averaged a blistering 2.4 seconds to pressure. Think about that for a second: that 2.4-second rate would be the second-best in the entire league this year, just a hair behind the Giants at 2.38 seconds. The Packers’ offensive line essentially took a decent, but not elite, pass rush team and made them look like absolute world-beaters. While the O-line is functional, which is an improvement from the first couple of weeks, it’s still clearly below average.
Love’s Grit vs. The Drop Problem
Despite the constant heat, Love was getting rid of the ball with an average time to throw of 2.61 seconds. That feels like an eternity in some games, but it actually marked his third longest time to throw all season, behind games against the Cowboys (2.88) and Bears (2.67). Fun fact: that 2.61 average would have been the second fastest time to throw among all QBs in the 2025 season, just behind Aaron Rodgers at 2.59 seconds and ahead of Tua Tagovailoa at 2.65 seconds. Even with all that pressure and time, Love still managed a 10.9 ADOT (Average Depth of Target) and a +0.14 EPA per Play. The real kicker here? The drops. The numbers for EPA per Play and Success Rate would look significantly better if not for the receivers and running backs having another rough day catching the ball. It was a tough day for play action, too. Usually, it’s a solid play for them (+0.32 EPA per Play, 5th in the league, even though they are 25th in the league with a 20.1% play action rate), but in this game, it was a dismal -0.64 EPA per Play on a 20% play action rate.
Personnel Mix and Pass-Heavy Attack
The Packers leaned a bit heavier into 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) against the Lions, and it seems like their best mix for the roster they have right now. While it slightly underperformed in Success Rate (34.9% vs. 35.7% in 12 personnel), it was their best grouping by EPA at +0.21 EPA per Play. Passes out of 11 personnel were particularly effective, turning in a +0.37 EPA per Play. The offense went with a more pass-heavy attack overall, hitting a 70.8% pass rate. That’s higher than their preferred 65% target, but considering the struggles in the run game, a 70% pass rate might not be the worst thing. The pass rate was pretty consistent across downs: 66.7% on first down, 76.5% on second, and 70% on third.
So, what needs to happen to turn this around? Those drops have to get sorted out, plain and simple. And the O-line needs to find some consistency, fast, because giving up a second-best pressure rate to an average unit is just not going to cut it. There’s potential in that 11 personnel, but it’s getting overshadowed by basic execution errors that are killing drives.
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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