Week 1 of the 2022 season for the Green Bay Packers may end up looking similar to the 2021 team in terms of how quickly Aaron Rodgers gets the ball out of his hands.
Last season, Rodgers got the ball out of his hands in an average of 2.61-seconds, which was the seventh-fastest rate in the NFL, per PFF. This was also the quickest that Rodgers has gotten rid of the ball since the 2010 season.
In the game of football, there is very rarely ever one answer to any question, but a big factor as to why this was the case for Rodgers was the Packers banged up offensive line unit.
All things considered, this group held their own with all of the injuries that they had to deal with. However, not surprisingly, there was a dropoff in play. Despite getting the ball out more quickly, Rodgers was pressured 158 times last season, compared to just 104 times in 2020.
This week in Minnesota, the Packers may very well be working with a make-shift offensive line with both David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins listed as limited participants at Wednesday’s practice. This doesn’t mean that neither will play on Sunday, but things have to improve between now and then.
As Rodgers told reporters last week, if both players are out, we can likely expect to see the same offensive line combination that we saw start all three preseason games this summer. This group consisted of Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Jake Hanson, and Royce Newman.
In 2020, the Packers boasted one of the best offensive line units in football, and there was little game planning for that unit that had to take place. Whatever Matt LaFleur dialed up, they could handle and do so against most opponents. However, that wasn’t the case in 2021, and once again, it may not be the case with this configuration. Help will be needed; the question is, to what capacity?
The Green Bay offense will be up against a stout Vikings defensive front made up of Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter at edge rusher, two players who have been among the most efficient at their position when it comes to pressuring the quarterback. In addition to those two, Minnesota also has Ross Blacklock and Dalvin Tomlinson inside.
The quick passing game will likely play a key role for the Packers offense on Sunday to help slow this Vikings pass rush, but so will running the ball effectively, as well as utilizing tight end chips to help the offensive tackles.
Giving Rodgers a clean pocket to work with is a must. Last season, Rodgers had the NFL’s highest completion percentage when throwing from a clean pocket. When he was under pressure, however, he ranked 34th out of 40 eligible quarterbacks.
Sunday may be the beginning of a new season for the Packers, but we may see the same quick passing game that we saw in 2021.
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