Photo by Evan Siegle - packers.com
9 - WR Christian Watson
The Packers were once again embarrassed on offense in their 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday. Atlanta managed to put “quick pressure” (that is, pressure in under 2.5 seconds) on Jordan Love on 15 drop backs, the second-highest total in any game in the NFL this season. The highest total occurred in the Packers’ loss to Minnesota in week 1 (17). Some quarterbacks cause their own pressure by holding the ball too long, but on the Packers, the blame lies completely with the offensive line.
Thursday’s loss was a disaster of epic proportions in which the Falcons held the ball for over 37 minutes and outgained the Packers on the ground 242 to 17. While the Packer defense was eventually overwhelmed by the Atlanta offensive line and running back Bijan Robinson, they played well until they simply ran out of gas, because the Packer offense could not pick up first downs. It was the same story that played out against the Vikings in week one, and it was a problem in their week two win over the Jets as well.
There is much blame to go around on the offensive line as the lack of talent can be put on general manager Brian Gutekunst, however the vast majority of the blame should be shouldered by Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, and offensive line coach Luke Butkus. While Gutekunst is ultimately responsible for acquiring offensive lineman, the Packers changed their philosophy on the type of linemen they prefer in early 2025 to focus on heavier, power-based players. Green Bay has typically focused on lighter, more athletic, and more versatile linemen, and they’ve been well above league average in developing these players in the past. The switch in philosophy almost certainly came from LaFleur, who loves the power running inherent to the Kyle Shanahan offensive system. This was likely bolstered when the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX with the heaviest line in the league.
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Not Just Talent
Unfortunately, all of the scouting systems and player identification methods the team has built were not calibrated to do this. In addition, the Eagles made the idea quite popular, and it’s difficult to beat a market when you’re doing the same thing everyone else is doing. Aaron Banks (325 pounds) has been awful as a free agent signing. Second rounder Anthony Belton (336 pounds) cannot play tackle and is only passable at guard. Jacob Monk can’t even play guard. But it’s not just a talent issue.
Watching offensive line tape in the Atlanta game was an even bigger horror show than just watching the overall game. There are several instances of Monk and Jager Burton simply not getting off the line at the snap. If the Packers were playing on the road in a noisy environment this might be excusable, but they were at home, and looked like they didn’t know the snap cadence, or in many instances, the play itself. The unit has never once played a stunt correctly. There were a dozen instances of four players blocking one player in this game. I have never seen this level of incompetence in any position group for any NFL team.
Lafleur and Butkus may not be able to coach these players into a competent unit, but Gutekunst is at least not sitting on his hands. This week, the Packers signed enormous guard Mekhi Becton, and poached guard Laken Tomlinson from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. Tomlinson is a former first round pick of the Detroit Lions who has had a long, up and down career. He spent five years playing in a similar system in San Francisco, and at the very least, he knows what he is supposed to be doing. Whether he can still actually do those things at age
Injuries and Inconsistencies
Becton is the more interesting acquisition as he has occasionally been very good, including winning a title as a guard in Philly as part of that massive line I mentioned earlier. That said, injuries and inconsistent effort left him with no suitors this offseason, which is not a great sign. Becton generally plays around 360 pounds, and he has experienced consistent knee issues as a result. He is allegedly down to 345, and recently disclosed he played much of last year with a shoulder issue that is now healed.
Neither Tomlinson nor Becton are secret all pros in waiting, but they may, at least, bring some minimal level of competence to an otherwise overmatched line. The Packers still need someone to play right tackle with Zach Bako-Bewele lost for the season, but at the very least, they should be able to run gap schemes behind what is now a very large interior line.
They will get to test their new acquisitions on Monday Night Football against a Buccaneers team that is missing starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (dislocated thumb). The Bucs will be starting undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels and are substantial underdogs as a result. The defense should be able to hold up their end of the bargain. Hopefully a new-look offense can as well.
