Green Bay’s offensive line looked like a second-rate high school team on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Seriously, one analyst watching the All-22 tape said it, and frankly, it’s hard to argue. They were passing stunts off to no one, turning guys loose when they absolutely had to, and getting completely edged in pass protection left and right. If this keeps up, Jordan Love will not last 17 games, plain and simple.
Love Is Taking a Beating, and It’s Brutal to Watch
Every single offensive lineman for Green Bay disappointed, but the guards were the worst of the bunch. Jordan Morgan was the “least disappointing” but that’s like saying a flat tire is “least disappointing” when your whole car is on fire. Jordan Love, on the other hand, deserves a medal of honor for even finishing the game. He was officially hit 15 times, and everyone knows the unofficial count was even higher.
Everyone expected better from Green Bay’s front. Historically, they’ve been one of the best in the league at giving their players extra help, preventing any one guy from taking over a game, and actually having a solid pass protection plan. But not on Sunday. The tackles held up decently for the most part, but even they got absolutely toasted by Dallas Turner. Turner, who hadn’t done much in his first two NFL years, had the best game of his career against them. Is it a breakout year for him, or is Green Bay’s offensive line just that bad? My money’s on the latter.
When Extra Blockers Don’t Even Matter
Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was blitzing like an absolute maniac, hitting an 82.1% blitz rate, the highest in Week 1. Honestly, who could blame him, seeing how that offensive line was playing? Even when Green Bay tried max protection schemes or bootlegs, the team looked totally lost, like they didn’t even know the rules they were supposed to be playing. Players were getting loose regardless.
Love dropped back 46 times on Sunday, which was the second-most of any quarterback in Week 1. Only the Saints’ Tyler Shough had more, but get this: New Orleans played an overtime game! The Packers had 176 routes run in the game, meaning they had 54 extra blockers over Love’s 46 dropbacks, averaging 1.2 per play. At some point, it doesn’t matter how many extra bodies you throw out there if the offensive line is playing this poorly. Both the Lions and Vikings were top three in Week 1 for rush and coverage disguise rate based on pre-snap alignment, making Green Bay’s task even harder.
Look, this can’t continue. If Green Bay wants Love to be their guy for the season, that offensive line has to tighten up. They need to figure out their assignments and protect their QB, or this season is going to be a short one for him.
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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