For the first time this season, the Green Bay Packers will have a full lineup of skill position players in addition to the currently prioritized starting five on the offensive line against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The final injury report will be released on Saturday, and the only player in question is Aaron Jones, who is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Christian Watson, Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan do not have injury designations. Meanwhile, Jones practiced daily on a limited basis this week, as he has the past two weeks.
Despite being plagued by injuries and inexperience, the offensive line has had some success, but could hardly sustain it through the first four games. In fact, this Packers team has been forced into a fast hole the past two weeks, especially with a slow start.
“There’s always ups and downs in adolescence,” Matt LaFleur said Saturday. “We definitely have to perform more consistently, no matter who is on the offensive line. It just starts with being locked in and dialed in. I think we put ourselves in a lot of bad positions with the penalties, whether we were asked to play or hold. So we kind of put ourselves in a bad place. There has to be consistency, and it’s not just a particular group, it’s the collective as a whole.”
The Packers are missing Jenkins a lot, and the absence of David Bakhtiari on offense makes that absence even bigger. Royce Newman replaced Jenkins. Despite playing the fewest snaps among the Packers’ starting offensive line unit in Week 4, he provided the most pressure for his team. He also enters Week 5 ranked him 67th out of 76 guards by PFF’s rating system.
Jenkins has allowed just one pressure on 41 pass-blocking snaps this season and is a Pro Bowl-caliber left guard with All-Pro potential.
“I think any time you get a player of Elgton Jenkins’ caliber, that’s a big thing for you,” LaFleur said. “It would be great to have all those guys out there. He’s definitely played a lot of the ball for us at a high level and brings a mentality to our line that I think we need. gave.”
It will be essential for the offensive line to have a resilient performance in this week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. This comes on the heels of a game against Detroit in which Jordan Love was pressured on nearly 50 percent of his dropbacks and averaged just over two yards per attempt in the run game. . At the end of the day, if the offensive line is struggling that much in both the passing game and the running game, it doesn’t really matter what the play calling or design is.
The run game hasn’t been going very well for the Packers all season so far, but they currently rank 29th in yards per rush. This negatively impacts the passing game and even the defense. By not being able to move the ball on first down (again, a result of an inconsistent passing game), the offense is forced into predictable passing situations, the defensive front is turned off, and the entire defense is given an advantage. There is a possibility. That means it’s more difficult to move the ball through the air, drives are shorter, and the defense is on the field longer.
Of course, having Jones back on the team on a regular basis would certainly help as he brings playmaking ability that AJ Dillon lacks, even without the huge running lanes. Last week, the Packers never had a chance to get the run game or Jones moving until the Lions packed the box and forced the Packers to throw the ball, losing 24-3 after recording just 11 plays on offense. That being said, it will take a more concerted effort to get him touches, including in the passing game, even if it’s through planned plays.
Watson is off the injury report and was limited in the game against Detroit, but expect him to be a full participant this week. We all know the speed factor that Watson brings, but he’s someone who can win on every part of the field, line up anywhere throughout the formation, and help create mismatches. His versatility and speed create big play potential for himself as well as others due to his gravity and attention from defenders.
As mentioned, this Packers offense has found much consistency this season due to injuries, an ineffective run game, or a young passing game that is relied upon but not ready to take on that workload. I haven’t been able to do that. But this week will be an opportunity for the offense to put together four solid quarters of football. Being at full potential certainly helps, but this is also the Raiders’ defense, which has truly been one of the worst in football this season.
Edge rusher Maxx Crosby has the ability to ruin games, so the Packers will have to be prepared for him, but outside of Crosby, this defense has struggled to stop giving up runs, allowing just 10 points per game. Not ranked in the red zone in terms of allowed points. Defense, third down defense. Basically, if you pick any key defensive metric, the Raiders probably rank in the bottom half of the league, maybe even among the worst.
I feel like this game will tell us a lot about where the Packers offense is at right now. Because it’s a matchup where the Packers should be able to have success. And if they do, they’re on the right path. If they don’t, the group will have a lot of work to do to catch up in the coming weeks.