Jordan Love got absolutely wrecked in Week 1, taking 15 official hits, and an unofficial 18 according to Adam Stenavich. The Green Bay Packers offensive line was a disaster, giving up pressure on over 50 percent of Love’s dropbacks in a brutal 39-22 loss to Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings. Forget those preseason question marks, because the worst-case scenario absolutely played out at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Perfect Storm Theory: Can They Turn It Around?
Look, sometimes opening games can just be a complete anomaly, right? For the Packers, you could argue Week 1 was the absolute perfect storm for their O-line woes. They rolled out a new starting left tackle, their starting left guard was hurt, and they had new starters at center and right guard. Plus, the starting right tackle was coming off a major injury and wasn’t 100 percent. You throw in Brian Flores’ relentless blitz packages, the ear-splitting crowd noise at U.S. Bank Stadium, and a real lack of time together in training camp, and it’s almost predictable that the whole thing crumbled.
The good news, if you can call it that, is they won’t play Flores every single week, though you can bet other teams will start blitzing this O-line a ton until they prove they can block it. And not every road stadium is going to be as loud as Minnesota. Zach Bako-Bewele should get closer to 100 percent. Veteran Aaron Banks will eventually be back at left guard. Guys like Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan are talented; they just need to settle in. And the bench has options! Rookie Jager Burton can play any interior spot, and Anthony Belton was one of their best five linemen at the end of last season. Maybe Burton and Belton get a shot this week to crack the starting five. The hope is this Week 1 storm subsides, and the O-line, while probably not a strength, won’t be a disaster most weeks.
What If This Is Just Who They Are?
But then there’s the other side of the coin, the really scary one. You are what you put on tape, and the Week 1 tape for the Packers was truly a nightmare. They had weeks to prepare for Flores in a loud environment, and they just failed, over and over again. Fixing these problems might be way harder than just playing a different defense in a different stadium. What if the talent and coaching simply aren’t good enough for this unit?
Jordan Morgan had poor reps against Dallas Turner. Donovan Jennings didn’t look like an NFL-caliber player out there. Jacob Monk didn’t look like an NFL starter at all. And Zach Bako-Bewele getting back to his former level of play? That might not even be realistic given the injury he’s recovering from. Sixteen games still remain in the season. The Packers have a massive job on their hands to protect Jordan Love. Will they tighten things up, or are we looking at the start of a very long year for that offensive line? We’re all watching to see what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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