Packers Banged Up OL Faces Stout Rams Defensive Front

Of the Green Bay Packers preferred five starters along the offensive line, they will be without three of them on Sunday. Of course, David Bakhtiari is still sidelined, Elgton Jenkins is out for the season, and we do not know when Josh Myers will return.

 

This means the offensive line on Sunday will be made up of Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman, and Billy Turner.

 

Nijman has held up fairly well in his four appearances, allowing two sacks and five pressures, according to PFF, although he certainly did receive some help from the Green Bay tight ends along the way. Nijman is capable, but he needs to be accounted for by LaFleur.

 

Runyan, Patrick, and Newman have all had solid performances this season — certainly more good than bad — but each has also taken their lumps as well, particularly Newman and Patrick. 

 

While PFF’s grading system is far from the be-all-end-all, it can be helpful in illustrating how well — or poorly — a player has performed. At guard, Newman’s overall grade ranks 81st out of 83 eligible players, and Patrick ranks 28th out of 40 eligible centers. 

 

“Every week you look at your opponent and who they have, what you’re going against, not only schematically but from a personnel perspective, as well,” LaFleur said via SI. “And any time you’re playing a team like the L.A. Rams that has multiple, dynamic pieces on their defensive line, it presents some challenges and it definitely influences how you gameplan and the things that you’re going to ask your players to do.”

 

Then, of course, at right tackle is Billy Turner, who has been one of the unsung heroes on offense this season. Turner has once again provided the Green Bay Packers with stability and reliability at a key position.

 

This season, there was one other game where these five players were the preferred starters, and that came in Week 5 against Cincinnati. The offensive line unit would allow two sacks and nine pressures that game, while Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon would rush for 133 yards on  22 carries. 

 

Now, the Bengals’ defensive front is certainly no pushover by any means — that’s a good unit — but going up against Aaron Donald and the LA Rams defensive front is an entirely new challenge. 

 

Donald has been his same dominant self this season, logging 42 pressures, the fourth-most among interior defensive linemen, and he’s also PFF’s highest-graded interior defender. But also joining him in wreaking havoc is Greg Gaines, who has been effective against both the run and pass and is PFF’s ninth-highest graded interior defender.

 

“He certainly was hurting last year, there’s no doubt about it, and he’s a guy that you can’t rest for one second when you’re going up against him,” LaFleur said via SI. “You better know where he’s aligned on every play and you’ve got to make sure that you’re putting your players in the best position possible to go against him. As dominant as he is in the pass game, he’s equally as dominant in the run game, and I think that’s what makes him so special. He plays a lot of snaps, his effort is relentless, he is a guy that just can completely take over a football game.”

 

At edge rusher is Leonard Floyd, whose 37 pressures is the 15th most among that position group, while Von Miller’s 30 pressures are tied for 29th. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has also been effective this season in a limited capacity, grading out very well. 

 

Other defenders to know include A’Shawn Robinson — a very effective run defender — Sebastian Joseph-Day, and Terrell Lewis. 

 

As a unit, the LA Rams pass-rush ranks third by PFF, second by ESPN’s pass-rush win rate metric; they’re seventh in total pressures and fifth in yards per carry allowed with just 4.0. To put it simply, they’ve been dominant. 

 

Ultimately, the Green Bay Packers offensive line is going to have to play well, but there are ways that LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers can provide them with some help. It won’t be easy, but leaning on the run game and allowing the offensive line to be the aggressor is a must. If the Packers become one-dimensional, pass-heavy, and the Rams can pin their ears back, this game very likely will not end well.

 

As we’ve seen in the past, LaFleur can also use the tight ends to throw some chips and help block. Getting the ball out of Rodgers’ hands quickly will be required, as will utilizing play-action, boots, and motion. It’s worth pointing out that in several key categories, including completion percentage, yards per attempt, and passer rating, Rodgers has been one of the worst quarterbacks this season when under pressure. Green Bay has to avoid putting him in those situations at all costs.

 

However, even with the help that can be provided upfront, there are still going to be plenty of times when the Green Bay offensive linemen will be on an island and need to win thier matchup or create those running lanes. 

 

Football has changed a lot over the years, but in the end, games are still won and lost in the trenches. And in order for the Green Bay Packers to come away with the win, their patchwork offensive line is going to have to hold up against a very, very good defensive front led by the game’s best.