The Green Bay Packers’ original plans to make changes to the offensive line were thrown out of whack on Saturday, with David Bakhtiari being listed as questionable, and then before Sunday’s game, ruled out.
From the sounds of it, the Packers’ initial plan, under the assumption that Bakhtiari was available, was to move Elgton Jenkins to left guard, Jon Runyan to right guard, and Yosh Nijman to right tackle. Once Bakhtiari’s status became up in the air, the Packers’ had to pivot.
Considering that in the past, when the Packers have had to deal with movement up front, they’ve often surprised us, and examples include Yosh Nijman getting the start in Week 3 against San Francisco in 2021 along with Billy Turner moving to left tackle for the playoff game, we should have expected the same in Washington.
While many of us assumed that Nijman would move back to left tackle in Bakhtiari’s absence — with perhaps Zach Tom sliding in on the right side if the Packers were still looking for something different —we instead saw Tom at left tackle with Jenkins at left guard, followed by Runyan at right guard, and Nijman at right tackle.
Neither Tom, Runyan, nor Nijman had ever taken an NFL snap at the positions they were playing. In fact, Runyan and Nijman had never even lined up on the right side.
When it came to how Matt LaFleur and Co. decided on this configuration, continuity, and familiarity — two important elements in offensive line play — were key factors. Following the game, Aaron Rodgers told reporters that Runyan and Nijman’s experience lining up together on the left side, along with Jenkins and Tom playing next to each other in training camp, were factors in the decision.
All things considered, this group held its own in pass protection against one of the best pass rush units in the NFL. PFF would credit the Packers offensive line with allowing only one pressure, and every player except for Jenkins graded out well. However, this unit was also greatly aided by the quick passing game and help from the tight ends.
Rodgers’ average time to throw against Washington was just 2.13 seconds, his quickest time of the season and the fastest since Week 3 of last season.
Behind this offensive line, we rarely saw play-action or Rodgers trying to push the ball downfield, in part because of how Washington defended Green Bay, but I also imagine the Packers didn’t want to put the line in too many positions where they had to sustain their blocks for a long time.
Rodgers’ average depth of target ended up being just 5.5 yards, his second-lowest rate of the season in a year where a lot of pass attempts are coming around the line of scrimmage.
In the run game, the Packers averaged only 3.2 yards per carry with a long of eight yards. Green Bay ran the ball just 12 times, and I do wonder if any concerns they had about the offensive line against this defensive front played a factor in that decision.
Washington clearly wasn’t overly concerned about the Packers offensive line, as they rushed only four for a majority of the game. This then meant they had seven back in coverage, which contributed to the Packers’ issues in the passing game.
As Rodgers said after the game, this team is better when Bakhtiari is on the field, so hopefully, this is a short-term absence. Although there weren’t any egregious mistakes by the offensive line, the playbook felt limited behind this group as LaFleur tried to protect them. Ultimately, any success this offense is going to have begins with the offensive line.
