One of the most famous press conference quotes of all time was when Jim Mora, when asked about a potential playoff performance, responded by asking “Playoffs?! You’re talking playoffs? I just hope we can win a game!” If asked before the season, most Packers fans were hoping to win half or more of the games before Micah Parsons returned. Now, like Mora, fans are wondering if there is any hope for the Packers’ disappointing offense to win a game, much less in the playoffs.
Who to blame: The offensive line and running backs
One of the stats tracked by ESPN, called pass block win rate, is the percentage of snaps that an offensive line can block pass rushers for more than 2.5 seconds. Since beginning to track this stat, ESPN has not logged a lower percentage of pass block win rate through three weeks of football than the Packers current 18%. In other words, the Packers pass blockers give up a pressure within 2.5 seconds of 4 out of 5 pass snaps.
There are several other troubling statistics that all point to the same fact: the Green Bay Packers’ disappointing offense will continue to disappoint with their current line. Being unable to win the line of scrimmage will make running the football difficult, and put Jordan Love in danger due to the number of hits he takes.
The running backs have their share of the blame. The Packers’ rushing offense ranks last in the league in total yards and yards per attempt. While they have not been given much space to run by the offensive line, they have not taken advantage of the opportunities they do have.
The poor offensive line and running back play negatively combine to make an ineffectual offense. The unreliable ground game forces the offense to go almost entirely through the arm of Jordan Love. This allows defenses to play schemes that cap the passing game and pressure Love without any consideration of the possibility of running the football.
Who can fix it: health, law, and free agents
The current lineup was not the Packers’ ideal group of starters for the season. Guard Aaron Banks started the season with a knee injury and left his first game back with a toe injury. Right tackle Zach Backo-Bewele fully tore the patellar tendon that he was still rehabbing at the beginning of the season. Lastly, Josh Jacobs, the expected starting running back, is currently on the NFL’s Comissioner’s Exempt list due to the incident that led to him pleading “No contest” to battery and property damage done to his girlfriend.
While Backo-Bewele is lost for the season, and might not ever be able to play again, Banks can eventually return. While less certain, Jacobs may be able to return later this season when the NFL determines what his discipline will be.
In the meantime, the Packers have signed 3 veteran lineman to potentially shore up their offensive line. Guard Laken Tomlinson was signed from the Houston Texans’ practice squad, and guards Mekhi Becton and Cordell Volson were added to the Packers practice squad. Other than Becton who was on the Champion 2024 Eagles line, none of these players are likely to be anything more than competent at best. Given the performance so far, the Packers would be very happy to have competence at the offensive line.
Who to blame: Matt LaFleur
The head coach of the Green Bay Packers has been under scrutiny for several seasons now. Since the departure of Aaron Rodgers, the team has not won more than 10 games in a season and only won 1 of the 4 playoff games they have had. The most recent playoff loss to the rival Chicago Bears came by a 18 point comeback in the second half.
The failure of the offensive line has as much to do with coaching as the players themselves. A rewatch of any of the first three games of the Packers’ disappointing offense will show players missing blocks in the passing and running game, making defenders’ job easy. Even with backup players, Luke Butkus, the Packers offensive line coach, needs to do a much better job of having his guys ready to go on Sundays.
The offensive coaching has been ineffectual beyond the week-to-week performances. The Packers, a draft and develop team, has failed to develop their offensive line players. Additionally, several veteran linemen, such as Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker, have improved after leaving the Packers, suggesting they were not being optimized by the Packers coaches.
Although largely ineffectual, LaFleur’s refusal to run the ball compounds any offensive issues the Packers have. Only running the ball 8 times, as the Packers did against the Atlanta Falcons, when your quarterback is getting quick pressure on 80% of passing plays is a recipe for disaster. LaFleur said so himself.
Who can fix it: LaFleur or someone new
When a team struggles, the buck stops with the head coach. This is especially true for an offensive play calling head coach like LaFleur when his offense struggles. LaFleur needs to do more and get more from his staff, or they may be on the job search.
New players in Becton, Tomlinson, and Volson who are familiar with similar offensive schemes to the Packers can help. Their contributions can help the coaching staff get the blocking plan under control, but the coaching staff needs to be held accountable if this does not happen.
The Packers’ contracts are structured to be competing for Superbowls in the next 2-3 years. This offseason saw extensions given to Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Devonte Wyatt, and Tucker Kraft, locking up their young core for years of contention. If the Packers’ disappointing offense continues to struggle, the coaching staff will have some tough questions to answer on why the front office’s investment came up empty.
LaFleur was also extended this offseason, which makes it difficult for the Packers to move on even if that becomes necessary. Additionally, LaFleur has kept the offense ranked in the top 10 for the most of his Packers tenure and only had one losing season. For all his weaknesses, LaFleur will be a very difficult coach to replace with any expectation of improvement
Who to blame: Brian Gutekunst
A bad artist blames his tools, but the offensive staff haven’t had much to work with. Injuries aside, the Packers have not taken an interior offensive lineman before day 3 of the draft since Sean Rhyan was taken in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft.
Additionally, the only free agent signed by the Packers to play interior offensive line, Aaron Banks, hasn’t yet played a 17 game season due to injury, and hasn’t been impressive when on the field for the Packers. Darian Kinnard, who the Packers traded for at the beginning of the 2024 season, only played as a swing tackle for the Packers despite having guard experience.
The Packers disappointing offense so far this season points to a timeless truth: football is won in the trenches. Brian Gutekunst’s failure to draft, trade for, or sign an effective offensive line is directly linked to the team’s failure on the field.
Running back has also been neglected by the Packers. Josh Jacobs’ legal situation has been known since May. Other than trading for Kaleb Johnson, a second year player who had a disappointing rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gutekunst has not attempted to fill in Jacobs’ role.
Who can fix it: A lot of luck or a lot of change
Teams that try to overhaul positions like offensive line midseason are not likely to be successful. Simply put, the players that are available would already be on rosters if they were likely to be good starters. If Becton, Tomlinson, Volson, and Johnson are going to save the Packers disappointing offense, the team is going to need a lot of luck.
The more likely outcome is that these players also struggle and the Packers season continues as it has. If so, Gutekunst will be in a tough spot having spent a lot of money on players who can’t overcome the Packers faults.
The future doesn’t look great either. The Packers are near the cap limit so hopes of signing quality free agents in the upcoming offseason will be difficult. Additionally, they do not have a first round draft pick due to the trade for Micah Parsons. That pick is owned by the New York Jets, who have one more first round pick from the Colts and could be in line for an unprecedented number of high first round picks.
Like LaFleur, Gutekunst was extended this offseason, and like LaFleur, is protected from being fired by the money owed to him. He also has had success in the past as the Packers general manager, having navigated the transition from Rodgers to Love and bringing in a blue chip player in Parsons.
Those same successes make the Packers failure even more painful, as the prime of a roster with many strong players may be wasted. The unfulfilled potential of a team that had Superbowl aspirations may lead Ed Policy to hold Gutekunst responsible by finding a new leader of the Green Bay Packers
