Six weeks ago in San Francisco, Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga lasted only nine snaps before exiting with an injury during a game that turned into a 37-8 blowout at the hands of the 49ers.

Alex Light, Bulaga’s inexperienced backup at the time, had no chance to survive against Nick Bosa and the 49ers’ dominant defensive front.

Right tackle should be a point of optimism for the Packers as they prepare for a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

Bulaga missed Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks with an illness, but there’s a good chance he’ll be back and ready to play this week. And even if he isn’t, or he’s limited in some way or injured again during the game, the Packers have a much better backup plan than two months ago.

Jared Veldheer, the veteran tackle who was claimed off of waivers in late November and activated to the roster last month, is now Bulaga’s top backup.

Veldheer, who has 113 career starts in the NFL, made an emergency start in place of Bulaga on Sunday and held his own, especially in pass protection.

Coach Matt LaFleur gave Veldheer the ultimate compliment, revealing he never once thought about changing a call or avoiding a concept because of the situation at right tackle. And the Packers offense didn’t miss a beat, converting nine third downs and scoring three touchdowns over three red-zone trips.

The script was mostly the same in Week 17. Veldheer entered the game for an injured Bulaga in the first half and his effectiveness in pass protection allowed the Packers to mount a late comeback without limitations in the passing game.

Maybe the Nov. 24 game would have unfolded a little differently had the Packers possessed a quality backup behind Bulaga like Veldheer.

The hope this time around is that a backup won’t be required.

Bulaga represents one-half of one of the NFL’s best offensive tackle duos. Despite little national recognition, Bulaga quietly shut down several of the league’s best pass-rushers this season, and he’d give the Packers a real shot at slowing down the edge rushers of the 49ers on Sunday.

It’s fair to wonder how the first meeting would have played out from a playcalling standpoint had Bulaga remained in the game. Almost certainly, LaFleur’s menu of playcalls shrunk when Light entered the contest, especially in high-leverage and obvious passing situations.

The return of Bulaga, availability of Veldheer and rise of left tackle David Bakhtiari – who played lights out over the last six games – could make all the difference for the Packers offense. Throw in the continued cohesion of the three interior players – left guard Elgton Jenkins, center Corey Linsley and right Billy Turner, who have started the last 15 games next to one another – and the Packers might have a six-deep offensive line capable of matching the NFL’s best front.

At the very least, it’s going to be a much more competitive battle at the line of scrimmage.

The Packers have to do a lot of things better on Sunday to beat the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium and advance to the Super Bowl. One major improvement must be in protecting Aaron Rodgers. Week 12 was a bloodbath in the passing game and on third down.

With Bulaga likely to return, and Veldheer ready behind him, the Packers should be in a much better position to keep those in red and gold away from No. 12.

The Green Bay Packers will have their veteran right tackle available for Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Bryan Bulaga cleared concussion protocol and is ready to play in the Packers’ opening game of the postseason.

Bulaga, a 16-game starter for the Packers at right tackle, suffered the concussion in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions. He was replaced by veteran Jared Veldheer, the team’s top backup tackle.

The Packers are fortunate they secured a bye week. Bulaga needed the extra week to clear the protocol. He almost certainly would have missed a wild card game last weekend.

The Packers will host the Seahawks, who struggled to rush the passer throughout the season but tallied seven sacks in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. With Bulaga back, Matt LaFleur’s offense should have all five starting offensive linemen available to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Bulaga allowed only (4) total pressures on 70 pass-blocking snaps against Hunter in their two match-ups this season.

No sacks or hits allowed, all four were hurries. #Packers https://t.co/LfR8qUPP7F

— PFF GB Packers (@PFF_Packers) December 26, 2019

Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga all but eliminated Minnesota Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter as a pass-rusher during their two meetings in 2019.

According to Pro Football Focus, Hunter – who leads the NFL in total pressures this season – produced only four pressures over 70 pass-rushing snaps against Bulaga, who held him without a sack or quarterback hit.

Hunter did have two sacks against the Packers, but neither was credited to Bulaga.

In the first meeting in Week 2, Hunter beat tight end Jimmy Graham for an easy third-down sack. On Monday night, Aaron Rodgers held the ball for almost six seconds off a bootleg action before taking a 1-yard sack near the sideline, so the blame for the sack goes to the quarterback.

Hunter has freakishly long arms and impressive power and quickness, but Bulaga had a counter for just about everything the Vikings’ Pro Bowler threw at him in 2019. Keeping Rodgers protected from Hunter on 66 of 70 passing snaps is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

Bulaga is enjoying one of his finest seasons. Not only has he played in every game, but he’s shut down Hunter twice and Khalil Mack twice, while also scoring overall victories against other top pass-rushers such as Demarcus Lawrence and Von Miller.

The Packers will have a decision to make this offseason, Bulaga, who turns 31 next March, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. Once again, he’s proven his worth as one of the best right tackles in football, and he’s done it while battling through a few injuries and playing in every game. Despite his injury history, teams will likely value his ability on the open market.

Do the Packers pony up and pay to bring him back on a multi-year deal? Or do they let him walk and begin the search for his replacement?

In a perfect world for the Packers, Bulaga would return on a team-friendly deal that features protections against injury. Maybe such a deal is possible for an Illinois native that has been in Green Bay his entire NFL career.

Then again, Hunter and the Vikings probably won’t mind if Bulaga leaves the NFC North.

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Bryan Bulaga knows nothing is a given in the NFL. For the Green Bay Packers’ stalwart right tackle, Sunday’s matchup against the Chicago Bears will be as difficult as any.

The Packers last faced the Bears in September in the 2019 season opener. In what was a defensive grudge match, Green Bay emerged victorious by a final score of 10-3, in part because of Bulaga’s ability to neutralize Chicago’s star pass-rusher, Khalil Mack.

But Bulaga isn’t dwelling on the past.

“What happened in Week 1 is kind of irrelevant to me right now.” Bulaga told reporters on Thursday. “I’m just going based on what [Mack] has done lately. He’s been really productive lately, and he’s still one of the best in the game.”

Bulaga didn’t surrender a sack and allowed just one quarterback pressure across 40 pass-blocking snaps in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus. Bulaga faced Mack on 13 of those snaps, giving up zero pressures against a player many consider to be the best pass-rusher in the NFL – and for good reason.

The Bears signed Mack to a six-year, $141 million contract extension back in 2018, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. In four career games against the Packers, Mack has a combined 4.5 sacks, 16 tackles (13 solo), four tackles for losses, two forced fumbles, and an interception returned for a touchdown.

“[Mack] is a really good player and that was a long time ago, Week 1. He’s evolved as a player and he’s not the same exact guy he was in the first week,” Bulaga remarked. “This is going to be a tough football game.”

Chicago (7-6) travels to Green Bay (10-3) riding a three-game winning streak, needing a crucial victory to stay alive in the highly-contested NFC playoff race. The Bears will likely need three straight wins to cap off the season in order to have a fighting chance at a playoff spot.

“There’s three games left in the season. … I know they’ve got three must-wins. I feel like we’ve got three must-wins. So it’s going to be one of those types of games. The weather should be nice, should be a hopefully single-degree temperature out there. A classic NFC North, Bears-Packers matchup.”

Bulaga has proven to be one of Green Bay’s best offensive players in 2019, thanks largely to a relatively healthy campaign. He’s played in every game for the first time since the 2016 season, despite suffering an MCL sprain in his right knee back in Week 12 against the 49ers.

Because of that, Bulaga has enjoyed a Pro Bowl-caliber season in the final year of his current contract. The 10-year veteran will have plenty of ammo during negotiations this coming offseason.

In the meantime, the Packers will need Bulaga to be on his best game on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field against one of the NFL’s premier pass-rushers. On the flip side, the Bears will need Mack to perform like the player they paid him to be. The matchup within the matchup could be one of the biggest factors in deciding which team wins.

“You just gotta play smart against a guy that talented,” Bulaga said back in Week 1. “It’s hard not to pay attention when [Mack] is on the field. Obviously, wherever he goes, you understand where he’s going. You have to account for him. You can’t not account for him.”

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Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga overcame a knee injury and produced a “clutch performance” against the New York Giants on Sunday, according to his coach.

“I thought he did a really good job,” Matt LaFleur said after Sunday’s win. “What a clutch performance in terms of being able to battle back through a pretty significant injury. Really happy for him. I think it speaks a lot about who he is as a man, as a player. He is really important to this football team.”

Bulaga left last week’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers and didn’t return, opening up the possibility of the veteran right tackle missing one or more games with what was eventually reported to be an MCL sprain.

Instead, Bulaga returned to practice on Thursday, practiced again on Friday and played all but three snaps against the Giants. Despite iffy weather conditions, he allowed nothing more than a single pressure over 64 snaps.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was appreciative of Bulaga’s performance. Not just the quality of the play, but the leadership aspect of playing through an injury.

“I told him how proud I am of him after the game,” Rodgers said Sunday. “It sets a great example about the difference between being hurt and being injured. For Bryan to push through the pain and to play, that’s why he’s a leader of our football team and has the respect of the guys. He’s just stubborn enough to want to get back out there every week.”

Rodgers wasn’t sacked and took just two quarterback hits despite dropping back to pass 36 times.

“Protection was great all day. I told the guys, that was a nice, fairly clean day,” Rodgers said. “It felt very comfortable at times.”

The Green Bay Packers listed offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga, cornerback Tony Brown and safety Will Redmond as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants.

Bulaga, the team’s starter at right tackle, left Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers after injuring his knee in the first quarter, but he participated at practice on Thursday and Friday and now has a great shot at playing against the Giants on Sunday.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Bulaga’s playing status will be determined by how his body responds to back-to-back days of practice.

So far this season, 80 percent of the team’s “questionable” designations have gone on to play in the game.

Brown, a key special teams contributor, must his injured his heel at some point during the last two days. Redmond, however, was a full participant on Friday after missing Wednesday’s practice.

No other player was given an injury designation. Tight end Robert Tonyan and fullback Danny Vitale, who were both questionable last week, were removed from the injury report.

Once again, the Packers are the far healthier team.

The Giants ruled out five players for Sunday: receiver Golden Tate, tight end Evan Engram, safety Jabrill Peppers, long snapper Zak DeOssie and tight end Rhett Ellison.

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