Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, but it’s those injuries to the Green Bay Packers offensive line this season that have zapped any sort of continuity they are trying to build among that position group.
After playing Week 1, David Bakhtiari would miss the next two games before being placed on IR. Elgton Jenkins exited the Atlanta game in Week 2 before halftime and missed the two games after that. Practice has been disrupted as well, with several players not getting their full allotment of reps in recent weeks due to injuries.
Jenkins did not participate in Friday’s practice after being limited the week leading up to the Las Vegas game. Zach Tom tweaked his knee against New Orleans, causing him to miss a practice and be limited up until this past week. Tom said earlier this week that he is now just getting back to 100 percent. Jon Runyan was injured during the Detroit game, and he too would miss a practice and also practice in a limited capacity the week leading up to the Raiders game.
“The other team doesn’t care,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus. “Nobody feels good after that first day of training camp. The position that we play, the position that I coach, you’re going to be banged up.
“I respect the hell out of those guys for battling through and fighting. With the left tackle and left guard, that’s part of the game, part of the business. It’s the next man up. We’ve got to have the five best out there on any given week, no matter how good or bad we feel.”
Of course, you always want your best players available, but there is something to be said for continuity as well, which is an underrated aspect of offensive line play. While each lineman has their own individual responsibility on each play, there is a lot of communication required between the five players pre-snap and a certain level of chemistry that is needed when it comes to handling stunts or combination blocks.
Offensive line play is very much the sum of the parts are greater than any one individual. A great left tackle, for example, coupled with a right side of the line that is giving up pressures is going to result in an overall offensive line unit that is not performing well. Continuity can help create cohesiveness, and from a pure practice and playing time standpoint, the Packers haven’t had much of the former.
Overall, the play from the Packers’ offensive line this season has been sub-par. On an offense with a first-time starting quarterback and a young group of pass catchers, this unit was expected to provide some stability, however, that hasn’t been the case.
Green Bay currently ranks 26th in yards per carry this season, with only 3.5 per attempt. Sure, not having Aaron Jones doesn’t help, but it’s not as if there have been regular running lanes, either. This is also a unit that, after a very good start to the season in pass protection, has struggled with a pair of difficult matchups the last two weeks. Jordan Love has been pressured on roughly 40 percent of his dropbacks the last two weeks, which, over the course of the season, would be the eighth-highest rate in the NFL.
Naturally, all eyes are on Love, and the young skill position players, consistent success for the Packers’ offense starts on the offensive line–this unit has to improve. Having a run game to lean on can keep the offense ahead of the sticks and open up passing game opportunities, while if Love doesn’t have time in the pocket to go through his progressions, there isn’t much else that matters.
“Like I said, it’s part of the game,” said Butkus. “There is no doubt in my mind that we have the right guys in that room. From top to bottom, they all bust their butts. They all work, and they all fight. That’s all we can ask for. Do we need to get better? Yes. Every one of those guys has shown that they can do it. We just need to consistently execute, and that’s where I think our struggles are right now.”
