For the first time since Matt LaFleur was hired as head coach in 2019, the Packers lost on consecutive weeks, and the Lambeau Field crowd let their team hear it.
The Packers have no choice but to reconsider how they configure their offensive line. The Jets brutalized Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, hitting him eight times with four sacks. The run game wasn’t much better with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon combining for 60 yards on 19 carries, a 3.1-yard average. There was an improvement on the ground as the game progressed, but the Packers running back tandem was stuffed early, perhaps dissuading LaFleur from riding Jones and Dillon throughout.
David Bakhtiari returned as a full-time left tackle, which meant Yosh Nijman was buried on the sideline. Meanwhile, the right side of the Packers offensive line struggled, with Jake Hanson replacing right guard Royce Newman late in the first half before exiting with a biceps injury. It’s hard to understand why Nijman hasn’t taken the starting right tackle spot, which would move Jenkins to his best position at guard, and solve the rotating door right guard became Sunday.
Jones had a 22-yard run wiped out because of an Elgton Jenkins penalty midway through, but that didn’t entice LaFleur to give by far his biggest playmaker more chances. Until the Packers decide to ride Jones more deliberately, their offense likely will continue to struggle.The Packers defense played well once again, at least until the game was out of reach in the fourth quarter. That isn’t a surprise given how the first five games of this season have mostly unfolded.