Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari returned to the lineup for their Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and received positive reviews for his performance.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari allowed only one pressure in 17 pass-blocking snaps. Bakhtiari played on a pitch count for his first game back, rotating drives with Yosh Nijman. Head coach Matt LaFleur said the decision allowed Bakhtiari to play the entire game without putting too much stress on his knee, especially in the hot temps at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
In total, Bakhtiari played 34 snaps out of 61 offensive snaps. It was a solid debut for Bakhtiari, who was testing his knee for just the second time in the 623 days since the initial injury.
Bakhtiari received a pass-blocking grade of 78.7 from PFF, which was the highest of any Packers offensive lineman in Week 3. However, his run-blocking grade was below average and dropped his overall grade to 64.0. Of course, being a five-time All-Pro means Bakhtiari is held to a higher standard. His seasonal pass blocking grade from 2014-2020 never dropped below 85.5, while his run blocking has been above average.
Obviously, it will take time for Bakhtiari to get back to playing at the level he is used to, but his performance against Tampa Bay was encouraging to say the least. He performed well against a talented Buccaneers pass rush that entered the week leading the league with 10 sacks. Aaron Rodgers was sacked only once on 36 dropbacks.
Bakhtiari certainly did his part and will hopefully be able to take on a heavier workload in the coming weeks.
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