Green Bay's O-Line Injuries Revealed Something About Their Strength In the Trenches

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Detroit Lions 27-13 in a game that didn’t even feel that close in front of a raucous Lambeau Field crowd.

There are a ton of takeaways from Week 1, whether it’s the defense playing lights-out, the receivers catching the balls that were thrown to them (something that was harder than it should have been last year), or Jordan Love taking command. Outside of having an interception negated by a penalty, Love never really put the ball in harm’s way.

However, the biggest takeaway for me was the configuration of Green Bay’s offensive line and how they played as a unit. With a short turnaround and the Washington Commanders coming into town for an important early-season matchup on Thursday, it’s something to keep an eye on.

All training camp, we were wondering how Green Bay’s offensive line was going to line up in Week 1. Camp battles at left tackle between Jordan Morgan and Rasheed Walker, plus injuries to Aaron Banks and Elgton Jenkins throughout the summer, made it uncertain.

Lo and behold, Green Bay’s starting offensive line on Sunday was Walker, Banks, Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom, with Morgan seeing a healthy rotation at right guard. Even with Morgan playing well during camp and the preseason, as long as everybody is healthy and active, this is likely Green Bay’s optimal starting five.

Even with some shaky performances this summer from Walker and Rhyan, the offensive line came out and played well on Sunday against a good defensive front in the Lions. As a unit, they allowed only two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and no sacks.

Tom led the way after being assigned the task of going up against All-Pro Aidan Hutchinson for most of the game before leaving with an injury. He limited Hutchinson to just one quarterback hit and no tackles. That’s as much as you can ask for when going up against a unit known for its physicality and possessing one of the premier edge rushers in football.

However, the O-line struggled in the run game, which is something to monitor going forward. Josh Jacobs finished with only 66 yards on 19 total carries, good for 3.5 yards per attempt. Still, he added a touchdown on the ground. Most of those numbers came later in the game once the Lions were a few scores down. Early on, the Packers couldn’t get their ground game going. Given how well the unit performed in pass protection, hopefully, they can find their footing in the run game sooner rather than later.

While there was no real surprise in who started the game, Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff raised some eyebrows with their configuration of the line once injuries began to pile up. Banks and Tom left the game in the second half. Morgan replaced Banks, who left with an ankle injury and was seen hobbling around on the sideline.

Tom left after Love was blocked into him by Hutchinson on the interception that was later called back. Hutchinson was also flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, as targeting the quarterback is not allowed unless he is actively engaged. Instead of moving Morgan to right tackle to replace Tom, the Packers called on newly acquired tackle Darian Kinnard.

Perhaps they did that because Morgan had been rotating in at right guard with Rhyan throughout the game, and they wanted to keep him at the same position instead of asking him to move to tackle. Or maybe they feel like Kinnard is simply the better option at tackle. After a camp where Morgan played mostly left tackle (the most important position on the line), it was a bit surprising not to see him get a chance at right tackle.

Seeing Kinnard, who was just acquired a few weeks ago from the Philadelphia Eagles, take almost as many snaps as Morgan was the most interesting personnel move in Sunday’s game. Anthony Belton coming in for the last drive and getting a few snaps was likely Green Bay’s way of getting the rookie’s feet wet in a regular-season game.

The final snap counts for the offensive line were:

47 – Elgton Jenkins ©, Rasheed Walker (LT)

44 – Aaron Banks (LG)

32 – Sean Rhyan (RG)

30 – Zach Tom (RT)

18 – Jordan Morgan (3 LG, 5 RG)

14 – Darian Kinnard (RT)

3 – Anthony Belton (RT)

After the game, Matt LaFleur had no update on Tom or Banks’ status. With the quick turnaround for Thursday night’s game, the Packers had to release an estimated practice injury report. Tom and Banks both received a “Did not participate” designation. If neither can go — and it would be surprising at this point if either plays — I would expect the same lineup that ended the game to start on Thursday: Walker at left tackle, Morgan at left guard, Jenkins at center, Rhyan at right guard, and Kinnard at right tackle. That would be the most sensible solution to what would otherwise be a bad situation, losing two starters along the offensive line.

However, things become interesting if one of them can play. If Banks can play but Tom can’t, do they stick with Kinnard to start at tackle and leave their former first-rounder on the bench? As mentioned, Morgan hasn’t practiced much at right tackle, but it would be a way to get him on the field and collect valuable snaps. Kinnard might be the best option for a single game, but Green Bay needs opportunities to get Morgan in the lineup.

If Tom can go but Banks can’t, it’s likely just Morgan taking over. The bigger question comes if there’s another injury along the line, and how everyone would be shuffled around. Whatever way it works out, it’s an interesting discussion: Who is the first offensive lineman off the bench for this Packers team? Is it Jordan Morgan or Darian Kinnard?