Do the Packers have a run game problem?
By Kalani Jones
We are officially through the first two weeks of the season, and so far the Packers offense has looked absolutely top notch. They’ve scored 27 points twice, looking sharp as Jordan Love has commanded the passing attack with deep throws and in improved chemistry with his receivers, who look fantastic to start the season. Losing Jayden Reed for 6-8 weeks is a blow, but may also give him the opportunity to heal up his foot fracture that he otherwise would have been playing through every week.
If there has been a wrinkle in the offensive dominance, it’s been a bit of a slow start with getting the run game going. When I say that, I want to be clear that I don't mean I think the run game has been absolutely terrible, because it hasn’t been! But let’s take a look at a few raw numbers to get an idea of where the team stands.
Through these first two games, the team has rushed for 213 yards total (with seven total rushers), two touchdowns, no fumbles, and a 3.9 YPA (Yards per Attempt). Again, not terrible. But the YPA is really the area I’d love to focus our attention on. A 3.9 YPA is just slightly below league average, which usually hovers around a 4.0- 4.5 kind of range. 3.9 has the Packers in 18th place right now, which tracks with those statistical averages. As I mentioned though, that 3.9 YPA includes seven total rushers, so what does that number turn into when we look at just the running backs? It drops down to a 3.5 average, now well below the NFL average, and would land the team at 21st in the league, just behind the Buffalo Bills. Josh Jacobs himself holds a 3.6 YPA average, with 150 yards over 42 attempts.
Looking back at last year, the team finished with a 4.7 YPA, which was eighth in the NFL. The running backs together held a 4.5 YPA, and Josh Jacobs himself ended with a 4.4 YPA. So clearly, through these first two games, there has been a dropoff regarding the efficiency of the run game as a whole. So where exactly does the fault lie? Run blocking? There’s no pretty picture there either.
PFF doesn’t tell the entire story obviously, but we can take a quick glance and see a decidedly average score, almost across the board for the starters. Elgton Jenkins leads the way with a 68.5 grade (remember that 60 is average), while Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan and Darian Kinnard also are within the 60s range. Behind them, Zach Tom and Anthony Belton are in the 50’s, and Aaron Banks / Jordan Morgan are living in the swamp, with scores in the 40s.
There’s a bit of an interesting split when you look at how their scores can differ, when factoring in zone blocking vs gap blocking. Again, take a PFF sized grain of salt with the information, but there’s a clear line of effectiveness. Rasheed Walker has a difference of +18.2 when zone blocking vs gap, while Darian Kinnard has a +35.1 difference in favor of zone. On the other hand, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom have a higher gap blocking score, with differentials of 21.1 and 19.4 respectively. Everyone else has relatively similar scores between the two schemes. It’s also worth noting that the team has a mostly even snap count between the two systems, with 25 gap runs vs 22 zone runs. So we have a bit of a first clue: differing strengths along the offensive line, particularly when we look at zone vs gap running schemes.
When we look at how the Lions and Commanders actually played the Packers’ run game, we do see a bit of a through-line. In week 1, the Lions played an average of 7.6 men in the box on early downs, 8.4 men in the box on late downs, and 8.67 in the redzone (averaged across every play the Lions faced a run). The Lions played to shut down the Packers’ running game, and challenged the Packers to beat man coverage. Spoiler alert: they did. Still, the team finished that game with a 3.1 YPA.
In week two, these numbers dropped, but not by much: the Packers faced 7.3 men in the box on early downs, 7.0 on late downs, and 7.8 in the red zone. The Commanders adjusted to the passing success that the Packers put on display in week one, and lightened up the box slightly. The Packers still took advantage of lighter secondaries, and won with Jordan Love’s arm.
It’s no surprise that the early opponents of Green Bay have chosen to hone in on Josh Jacobs and the Packers’ rushing attack. In 2024, they were fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game and in total rushing yards, and were also towards the top of the league in runs per game, averaging over thirty in total. A lot of that has to do with Jordan Love’s injury as well as the tendency to run the mall more when the weather gets colder. But we’ve also got our second clue: so far in 2025, teams are stacking the box vs Green Bay. It’s not impossible to run the ball against heavier defensive looks (look at Baltimore for example), but it sure makes it harder.
So which is it? Poor run blocking or stacked boxes? I went back and watched every single run attempt that the Packers have attempted in 2025, and I’m here to tell you the boring answer: it’s both.
In the Detroit game, as we noted, the Lions were committed to stopping the run. Completely, and utterly, and though it obviously opened up ways for Jordan Love to beat them himself, that goal of stopping the run was definitely accomplished. The Lions still have a ton of horsepower on the defensive side of the ball, even with injuries on the interior defensive line and an ineffective Aiden Hutchinson. Josh Jacobs did his best, but the Lions simply over powered the offensive line with numbers.
The second half of the game was when the rushing attack really started to find some legs, and this was done mostly with between-the-tackles interior rushing, and good leverage by the guards once it seemed everyone found their sea legs in week one. Week one is a tough place to try to draw conclusions from, as it is. Everyone’s tired, nobody is used to playing NFL football yet, and execution is never ideal.
In week two, I saw an extremely impressive game plan from Matt LaFleur & Co. to get the running game going. It was so fun to see those jet sweeps from the pair of rookie receivers, and I thought that was the real first opportunity we’ve seen for Golden to show off that 4.29 speed. I loved the backfield motion that the offense employed. There were cheats, orbits, and some spinner action that we saw a lot of last year. I thought this creativity led to a few less reps where Jacobs needed to make someone miss in the backfield.
We already have a proof of concept for this group as a whole, considering the pass blocking clinics that they have put out on tape so far. I know those concepts aren’t the same thing, but when you look at offensive lines on a year by year basis, units who are good at one area are usually pretty good at the other one too. Offensive lines are a weak link system, and we’ve got one player playing in a new position (Jenkins) and one new addition to the starting lineup (Banks), plus NFL-level backups in Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, and Darian Kinnard.
So in conclusion, I believe that any run game struggles that we have as a team are, in fact, a mirage. As Jordan Love proves himself week by week, we are going to see lighter boxes employed against Green Bay. As we move forward, I have faith that this offensive line is going to gel together in run blocking.
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Co-Owner of the thirteen time world champion Green Bay Packers. Sometimes I write about them. Follow me on Twitter at https://x.com/kjones_in_co and on Substack for film breakdowns!
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Comments (64)
Packers0808
September 15, 2025 at 07:11 am
Jacobs as you showed is 75 yards a game is over 1250 yards for season. Not too shabby.
dblbogey
September 15, 2025 at 10:08 am
I'm still puzzled why we made Aaron Banks, a pretty much average guard, the 6th highest paid guard in the league.
WestCoastPackerBacker
September 15, 2025 at 11:33 am
They needed somebody to replace the loss of Josh Myers and the move to center for Jenkins. They didn’t have the quality player they needed ready to step in at guard. So they went with free agency and the way free agency works, it’s currently the mid level guys getting good sized deals. They appear to want bigger bodies on the line and Banks fits that need. If there were other cheaper options they felt would be as good they probably wouldn’t have signed Banks. Here’s a good article on his strengths and weaknesses:
https://packerswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2025/06/18/gre...
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 01:05 pm
He hasn't had much of a test drive to date. I wasn't sold on my Palisade AW SUV until I took it on an extended trip to Florida.
He's a huge Guard and has four years starting for the Niners and should be an upgrade on the OL. But he did come at a premium price...given he also was placed on IR by SF in late December last season. Up until now, he's mostly remained injured.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 16, 2025 at 02:03 am
GB needed a guard (or a center) and the free agency market stunk. So, they overpaid because demand was higher than supply.
I wanted GB to draft a center (I guess in 2026, now) and sign Ryan Kelly, but MN signed him for $9M per year. Kelly has been a good center for a long time but he missed 7 games in 2024 and 3 in 2023, and he is 32. Age and injuries were a concern. The other center option was Drew Dalman, who signed with Chicago for $14M AAV. I viewed that as too much for him. He is not bad but I just did not think he was good, either.
The guards were Banks, Will Fries, who missed 12 games in 2024 but at least was only 27 (signed by MN for $17M), Mekhi Becton, who finally had a decent year and signed for $10M AAV, and Patrick Mekari, who sold out for the money by signing with Jacksonville for $12.5M. That is a pay as you go contract the team can end after one year, if necessary. Jacksonville IMO overpaid.
The other intriguing name was old man Kevin Zeitler, age 35. He signed a one year deal for $9M. So far, he has shown that he can still run block at 332 pounds. That would have worked if he does not taper off or get hurt.
It is early days yet. So far, only Ryan Kelly has been good. I guess he had another year in his gas tank - make that 2 games as it is a long season and some older guys run out of gas later in the season. Dalman has been meh, and the others have been all underwhelming. We shall see if they gel with their teams and improve over the course of the season.
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 07:15 am
Interesting article, thanks. I tend to agree that there is no major problem with the run blocking--or at least it's too early to tell. Mostly I am just thankful that the pass blocking has been good. Watching the Vikings last night really provided some perspective. They were down two starters on the O-line, just as the Packers were against Washington, and their pass blocking was a disaster. They lost a couple more guys during the game, but it was terrible right from the start. Their QB and receivers didn't have much chance to get anything done.
Guam
September 15, 2025 at 07:31 am
The Viking offense did look bad last night. Too bad we don't play them until later in the year. I would really like to play two games against them right now. And the Bears too for the opposite reason - a really bad defense.
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 08:12 am
I enjoy Kalani's writing...both research and storyline.
"Poor run blocking or stacked boxes?" It's both... as I felt it was...and the article detailed why, and the reasons to be optimistic after just two games.
Love and the Air Force will force teams to adjust. And if they do not and continue to sell out for the "stack" it will be at their peril. Explosive plays will rain on them downfield...because the pass blocking, after two games has been outstanding.
NickPerry
September 15, 2025 at 07:18 am
With Tom and Banks already dealing with injuries, it's going to take a minute for the O-Line to gel. Hell, it was going to take a minute no matter what, the injuries definitely didn't help. The starters played very little in the preseason so I thought it could take a while anyways.
On Thursday I noticed something interesting and I just didn't understand. On the Packers two long TD drives of 90 plus yards, Kinnard was playing RT and Belton was on the bench. In the 1st quarter they went 8 plays, 96 yards for their 1st TD. The next drive in the 2nd quarter with Belton at RT it was 3 and out. Then on the next drive it was back to Kinnard and another 90 plus yard TD drive. Hey, If I notice this what can't MLF?
I get wanting to get snaps for the youngster. Personally I'm really excited about what he will bring once he's been here a minute. But if one guy is playing RT and your team is driving for 90 yard TD drives, maybe STICK with him...
I'm not concerned about the YPR yet. Not with all the moving parts that are going on with the O-Line with injuries. The Packers are 2-0 and have looked pretty damn good doing it...Lets GO!
Go Pack Go!
dobber
September 15, 2025 at 07:42 am
The two first-half drives were aided by big-chunk plays through the air (Heath for 37, Kraft for 50-something). Neither had anything going on the ground. The only long, sustained drive was in the 4th quarter and that was a Belton drive, wasn't it? They were a little more effective running the ball on that drive. The first FG drive in was also a Belton drive, right?
In the end--as you say--it's clear the Packers are trying to move Belton along, and I agree: he's the longer-term piece in their puzzle, so making sure he progresses is an important thing. He played 75% of the offensive snaps, so it did not cost them very much. What I will say is that Banks and Tom were supposedly game-time decisions, so I'm hoping they'll both be in the lineup at Cleveland next Sunday and that this discussion is. mostly academic.
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 08:18 am
Belton: "He played 75% of the offensive snaps, so it did not cost them very much."
He cost them a TD with his holding chock hold. That's quite a cost and Belton was sent immediately to the bench. He will learn how to play with the speed of NFL defenses, but that was a costly rookie error made after being badly beaten on his island. Can't have those.
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 09:09 am
Belton obviously ruined that one drive with his holding penalty, but was the difference between him and Kinnard so great that it was a big factor in the other drives? Was Belton whiffing on blocks out there? I don't remember seeing anything that terrible from him, but I was watching other things, so maybe I missed it.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 09:29 am
Kinnard was in on both 90 yard drives. Is that coincidence? It is a small sample over a season but a not insignificant one in a game.
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 11:01 am
Small sample is an understatement. The question is whether Belton played so much worse than Kinnard that he played a significant part in wrecking those drives. I really don't know.
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 01:12 pm
What additional value does rookie Belton bring to the Browns game if Tom can't go?
Belton has size and skills but he makes big mistakes. I expect Tom will play, but see no reason why Kinnard is not next man up to Tom with the current information the coaches have.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 16, 2025 at 02:32 am
Kinnard was a 5th round pick in the 2022 draft by KC. He was waived after his rookie season, a bad sign, but he won a super bowl ring. KC did sign him to the PS in 2023, so he won another super bowl ring. Philly signed him in 2024 and he played 71 snaps and started one game. Another ring.
I hope he keeps the super bowl streak alive. I don't know the answer, but I wonder if after three full seasons of being a full-time professional NFL player, does he still have some upside or is this what he is? The coaches have not had that long of anup-close look at Kinnard, either.
T7Steve
September 15, 2025 at 07:21 am
Jacobs doesn't mind right now that they're stacking the box, and it makes Love's job easier. When Ds start to shift back to stop the pass it will come back to the running game. When the O-line stops shuffling around it will get better too.
Guam
September 15, 2025 at 07:27 am
Okay, I am confused by the conclusion that the run game issues are a mirage. In the second to last paragraph the author indicates that the Packers are playing new people, old people in new positions and backup players with the inference that this is causing problems but because they are all good in pass pro they will eventually get to be good in run blocking. I tend to agree with this sentence, but doesn't that mean the Packers actually do have a run game problem now? It isn't a mirage, but a real issue due to the revolving door of players that causes lack of coordination in run blocking. The author and I both expect that issue to get better with time and practice, but it is a problem today.
Maybe I just need more coffee............
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 08:45 am
Agreed that saying it is a "mirage" was an overstatement.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 08:45 am
Not that I’m averse to digging into the details, but it is wise to always remember to not forget the visually obvious. In this case, a quite frequently, the run blocking looks uncoordinated. To me that says that we aren’t getting it right yet as a unit. Run blocking usually requires at least 3 players (one being the runner) to be moving in unison and timing. That is often not happening yet.
As you rightly point out, injuries before the season and recently and positional shuffling don’t make that particularly surprising. Banks is a veteran but new to the team and missed a lot of practice as well. We are not as yet getting as much from our OL in the run game as the past would individually suggest. For that reason, I suspect this is something that will improve irrespective of what opponents choose to do.
The stacked boxes approach limits yards per attempt , but it doesn’t necessarily mean contact in the back field or at the line. We now have a fairly sizable line outside of Tom and Morgan, but run blocking requires players working in unison typically. Thus far, there have been yards left untaken because that synchronicity has often been visibly absent. Half a yard per attempt is a huge differences in terms of the contribution of the run game.
Presumably, this is something the coaches are prioritizing at this point. It is fairly clear LaFleur wants to establish the run. If our coaches are good enough and focused enough there seems now to be both enough talent and power from the individuals in their charge that this should be overcome fairly fast, especially if we are able to field Tom and Banks going forward. There are valid reasons why this is taking some time, but very few, other than poor coaching, why it should continue much longer.
Thegreatreynoldo
September 16, 2025 at 02:37 am
"because they are all good in pass pro they will eventually get to be good in run blocking."
I don't think the above is true. There is often enough some improvement over time, but that's often it.
NFLfan
September 15, 2025 at 07:38 am
Enjoyed the article. One thing I noticed was that when Kinnard came in, Jacobs immediately ran 2 noticeably longer routes.
'As the weather gets colder, Love tends to run the mall'-I envisioned Love doing his laps around the GB mall in November-lol.
murf7777
September 15, 2025 at 07:42 am
Not worried at all with Jacobs at the helm. We just played two very good defensive teams and have two key injuries on the OL….nough said!
BuckyBadger
September 15, 2025 at 07:42 am
I would say it is way too early to say they have a run problem Teams will tend to stack the box vs the Packers because Love, for as great as he can be, is inconsistent and he will be the poison DCs will pick to beat them. As long as teams are committing that many people to the box and Love can beat them with his arms I don't see this as a problem at all. The run game is being respected which is sort of the point and I don't see that changing as teams know MLF is committed to it.
I also think that it is possible the line shifts have made the run game blocking a bit longer to gel. With the limited amount of live reps these guys get in scrimmage and the focus that many of those reps have on the passing game the run blocking might have to gel in live games more than ever before. For the OL run blocking takes more coordination and team work than pass blocking. I think the OL is deeper than last year and this won't be an issue come December when they will need to lean on rushing the ball more.
Razer
September 15, 2025 at 07:44 am
Would love to see the Packers control and close out games with a solid run game. It is just not in the DNA of this team or coaching staff. Josh Jacobs is the RB that makes the difference for very average run blocking. All too often he has to contend with defensive linemen in the backfield or no push from his O-line. We need to do better up front if we expect this offense to be dominant, especially against teams with better than average D-lines
dobber
September 15, 2025 at 07:59 am
The OL needs to be healthy and they need to find more cohesion. That happens with time together against teams with cruel intentions. They beat two good teams who were playing to stop the run--at least in the first halves--handily, and they established their leads with chunk plays through the air. The run game materialized in the second halves when Detroit and Washington needed to do something to take away downfield stuff and keep themselves in the ballgames.
Cleveland is good up front and has given up the fewest run yards in the league so far this season (to Cinci, meh, and Baltimore !!!). They'll be a test for the Packers' offense, but they make so many crucial mistakes and the Packers need to capitalize on them.
Detroit clobbered Chicago yesterday and Ben Johnson's presser shows that 1) he's not used to other teams going for 4th downs and scoring touchdowns on late drives (i.e. running up the score) and 2) he's already starting to sound frustrated with the media. It's also showing that the Chicago offense only works for about two drives.
Minnesota and Christian Ponder 2.0 took a crotch shot against Atlanta. People want to point to the offense and OL, but they had no answer for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier (who I would love to see in GB...I think he'll get a shot to be a lead back next year, and he's going to be a star). Penix was mostly a spectator. MN only ran 40 offensive plays...and most of them were offensive. The OL in MN will get better as they get guys back and as Ponder settles in, but by the time they see the Packers they might be 2-8 or 3-7 and season might be over.
Razer
September 15, 2025 at 08:25 am
I thought the "running up the score" by Dan Campbell was pretty classless. Having your star RBs in the game late in the 4th quarter was unnecessary and reckless and having your star WRs celebrating a 4 TD lead like it was the Super Bowl is childish. The Lions went from blue collar to bully pretty quickly
dobber
September 15, 2025 at 08:36 am
This is who Campbell's Lions have always been. Johnson seemed to be pointing it out in his presser, but his tone indicated he was pretty peeved by it.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 09:37 am
Reaping what he sowed? Johnson was part of that history. As far as Campbell is concerned, the Lions fans are lapping it up and back on the Goff for MVP band wagon. To me it looks like the loss to the Packers scraped some nerves that needed reassurance and they got that after Chicago, already horrible, arguably mailed it in.
Taken on top of what the Vikings showed yesterday, there is a strong chance that this is going to be a bad time to be a Bears fan even compared to last year and before. Can they turn it around? I really doubt they can turn around that many things, but if they don’t soon, I’m not sure morale will allow it anyway. For Lions fans, there is a strong chance that yesterday spawns the falsest of hopes.
Houndog
September 18, 2025 at 07:46 am
dobber,
I'm a bit late to this party, but yeah, Johnson seemed 'peeved'. Then, maybe Campbell remembered that the minute Johnson was hired, he started talking shit! MLF seemed to brush it off, but somehow I don't think Campbell is that kind of guy.
I know the Bears fans loved that, I read what they said, responding to what they wanted to hear. I'm sure Johnson feels he was a big part of Detroit's success, and he was, but if you're gonna' be talking shit from day one, you better back it up. At least play somewhat decent.
While watching the Bears/Vikings game I was laughing as "the Bears still Suck" and then seeing Detroit destroy them was almost a treat, A couple more games like that and Johnson might find some humility, he can use some!
TOMMY'63
September 15, 2025 at 09:16 am
Maybe you are right mate! They could have went to the sb 2 years ago , nfccg with sf,his reckless risks lost them the match, I thought he learnt a lesson or two with unnessary risks ,yes he should have the players out,they won ,why risk unnecessary injuries to your best players.
NFLfan
September 15, 2025 at 12:11 pm
'Hell hath no fury' like a Head Coach scorned'-lol
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 08:42 am
I was impressed with Penix...he's got something brewing with his TE, Pitts, Jr who looks like he's finally going to live up to his lofty 2021 draft status...highest TE drafted in NFL history.
Penix has one of the fastest releases in the NFL right now and some talented skill players. The RB duo laid 200 yards on the Ugly Purple too...at home, as that blaring, obnoxious horn was silenced often. Falcons look like they can fly this year.
Falcons lost in their opener after taking a lead with a minute left but Tampa drove the field for the winning TD. Falcons have something going on.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 09:49 am
The Bengals will be without Burrow. Flacco’s issues with turnovers that have interspersed what I would otherwise describe as competent but uninspiring veteran play. Under pressure he’s really struggled. That may be the key.
dobber
September 15, 2025 at 09:59 am
"Cleveland will be without Burrow."
Cincinnati.
Although there are rumblings that we might see a QB change for Sunday and Flacco sit.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 10:31 am
Yes, that was a cluster of crossed mental wires, so cut it to the main point. They have announced Flacco will start. How long a leash I don’t know, but Browning threw 3 pretty bad interceptions yesterday. He’s did move the ball more effectively in between, but it didn’t scream better bet to me.
Ferrari-Driver
September 15, 2025 at 08:00 am
A little early to question the performance of the running game. There have only been two games played and both games were against playoff teams from the previous year and are known for having a strong defense. On the positive side, we can be assured of and thankful for that the Packers offense WILL NOT have to face the ferocious Packers defense like a whole bunch of other teams will this year. Take a look at how those teams running game looks.
Wisma Packer
September 15, 2025 at 08:16 am
"Take a look at how those teams running game looks."
Exactly!!! 😀
BuckyBadger
September 15, 2025 at 08:27 am
I don't think the Lions have shown much on Defense last year or the year before.
dobber
September 15, 2025 at 08:40 am
I'd like to see what their pressure stats have been so far. Hutchinson got a sack, but was mostly a non-factor yesterday. Their safeties are good, but their CBs have struggled since forever.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 09:04 am
Chicago was so bad up front yesterday that I would not give much credence to the performance of the Detroit DL for comparative purposes. I’m not convinced Hutchinson is the same player as he was at this point by quite some way and the rest of the Lions threat looks tame.
What we saw yesterday was what Goff can do against a bad team without pressure and, by the second half that was what we saw, if not worse. It’s not new, his time in Detroit has shown it over and over again. Chicago look really bad at this point and the Vikings performance yesterday tends only to support that.
This looks to be a division of two halves at this very early stage, but one in which the Bears look like supporting from the bottom. It’s early yet, very early, but there are so many issues in Chicago it seems.
For what it is worth, I don’t think Johnson was wise to take that job. I think no head coach has much chance. They are turning into the Matt Millen era Lions, or perhaps already are them based in the 2 games to date.
EricTorkelson
September 15, 2025 at 09:02 am
No they dont have a run problem, only two starters playing in there same familiar positions , and two young but physical offensive lineman finding there way. I love the physicality of Belton and Morgan, and I have posted before NFL teams are attacking smaller quicker pass rushing defenses with bruising lineman who can open up holes for power running backs and running QBs. I have also mentioned IMHO the Packers might have overpaid huge money for Banks and Tom two lineman that are one position players only...
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 09:17 am
Tom is not a one position player. He is just so good at playing tackle that there's no point having him play a less important position.
We'll see if Banks is worth all that money. I think they were out of good options, and the free agent class was thin, so they ponied up the dough in hopes that he was the player they needed to complete their O-line.
EricTorkelson
September 15, 2025 at 01:39 pm
I dont see Tom playing any other position but maybe left tackle, he has the balance and the good feet but does not anchor well against the bull rush, maybe they don't call it a pressure but when Tom gets shoved back into Love and love has to move off his spot and change his throwing angle to me that's a pressure.. I want a tackle that stops his pass rusher in his tracks....keep an eye on the film.
Houndog
September 18, 2025 at 08:11 am
Greg,
Just a day or two ago there was an article detailing Banks contract, sorry, but I can't remember where I read it.
The gist of it was that, while it looks big, its basically a one year big deal and after that there's not many big guarantees and there's a lot of "ways out" for the Packers!
Unless he gets healthy and performs, I guess we'll see where that leads. As a Packer fan in 49er territory, I was a bit surprised by the signing.
***Edit***
I think the 'Banks' article I referenced above might have been a part of an article involving a Quay Walker extension.
Coldworld
September 15, 2025 at 11:19 am
I wouldn’t describe Morgan as physical. Belton and Kinnard are (and much bigger). Morgan is more a finesse type with better mobility but less size or power, particularly for G. If Tom does remain out I’d far rather see Morgan at RT at this point and Kinnard at LG or as cover if Banks is healthy (unlike Belton, Kinnard has experience at G). Morgan has been better as a tackle than either. He’s mirrored the footwork at RG, so he should be able to at T.
Just reminds me of the same coaches saying Tom couldn’t handle that as a rookie while Newman played the best football of his life and then a rusty Jenkins coming off a major injury was pushed out there when the best was so obviously woeful it couldn’t go on.
EricTorkelson
September 15, 2025 at 01:47 pm
Yes Morgan is better at Tackle.. Belton had one bad play when he got caught of guard during a pass rushing switch, and caught the player around the neck unfortunately on a TD pass. Other than that he played well he stood up his pass rushers including a couple major pancakes. I love that
Ferrari-Driver
September 16, 2025 at 12:52 pm
ET, I like that Belton seems to have a bit of "Nasty" in him and I enjoyed seeing him put a player on his butt.
TOMMY'63
September 15, 2025 at 09:07 am
Well do the pack have a problem with the running game? We have a 3rd round pick from last year who has never played! Missed all last year, played some snaps ,never played. On injured reserve to miss the 4 initial matches of the current season, Therefore hopefully in a month he can play, hopefully he can shine,then again we don't know. The packers journalists always say the players we have are some kind of phenomenon,let's hope he isn't another Watson.
HawkPacker
September 15, 2025 at 10:34 am
After reading the article and all the great comments, it looks to me like the other teams will stack the box to stop the run as long as we have Jacobs. Let's pray he does not get hurt. If he is out of the game, they will play us more straight up and will be more difficult in the passing game.
Doug_In_Sandpoint
September 15, 2025 at 10:48 am
I don’t really care about the yards per run in the first 3 quarters. 4th quarter running (with the lead) closes out games, demoralizes opponents, and keeps the clock ticking. Those 2-3 yard runs in the first quarter magically turn into 7-8 yards later in the game. The first two games, the opponents rolled the dice on stopping the run. It didn’t work that well for them. The key is JL’s ability to get out fast. The D will keep the game low scoring enough. Then hand the rock to Jacobs in the 4th.
Lphill
September 15, 2025 at 10:48 am
the run game will come, Jacobs didn't do much in the pre season he will improve game by game.
ricky
September 15, 2025 at 11:52 am
It often takes a while for an OL to really work as a team. To expect them to dominate against defenses committed to stopping the run in the first two games of the season- both games against teams that made the playoffs last year- seems unrealistic. If this is still a problem in five or six weeks, I'll start being a bit worried. But right now, the run game is helping keep the defenses "honest". And if they do change, and go after Love, that will give Jacobs and company a chance to really shine. Right now, the Packers are a "pick your poison" team. And that formula has been lethal for their first two opponents.
WD
September 15, 2025 at 12:14 pm
Let's be honest. We have RB problem. Hopefully it is only temporary. We also do not have a change of pace RB back with quickness and speed. Our offense will get a big jolt when Watkins Reed and Loyd return. Hopefully before the playoffs begin. Jacobs is great but he is not a threat to score on every play because he lacks breakaway speed. I see him as the workhorse. I would like to see Savion Williams used a bit more in the running game until Lloyd returns.
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 04:23 pm
There are a lot of other teams that would love to have our "RB problem."
LambeauPlain
September 15, 2025 at 05:18 pm
The Packers RB problem is as bad as the Eagles' RB problem.
GregC
September 15, 2025 at 04:23 pm
.
NFLfan
September 15, 2025 at 12:16 pm
Trivia:
Darrian Kinnard is related to Dolly Parton-his aunt is Dolly's first cousin
PackerBackerAZ
September 15, 2025 at 12:23 pm
The starter at left guard, Banks, was playing poorly and his replacement, Morgan, is playing poorly. Morgan seemed to play better at right guard. Maybe they should move Rhyan to left guard and Morgan back to right guard. Jenkins played center in college so he's not exactly in a new position.
TheKanataThrilla
September 15, 2025 at 04:11 pm
Given the OL injuries and the stacked box there are certainly reasons for our current issues running the ball. However, my biggest concern is our short yardage offense. We need to get this going as it is frustrating to see teams like the Eagles where it is automatic and we can't seem to figure it out.
PhantomII
September 15, 2025 at 06:18 pm
Last season the Packers had to live by the run game, because our WR's constantly killed drives by dropping the ball far too often. This year...so far, teams are loading up the box to stop the run and MAKING GB pass the ball to move the chains and so far it has normally worked out in GB favor....Loading the box will stop when our WR's and TE's gash teams more and make them change their game plan to slow down the Pack.... OL injuries are slowing our run game effort also. The biggest difference however is GB Defense stopping other teams drives and limiting their pass game enough to give our Offense more chances with the ball. Ideally GB picks up a #1 WR before the deadline to boost our firepower more to get us into the show. Getting Watson back, and healthy will help open up our pass game for everyone and give us more favorable shots in the run game also. If we cannot pick up a #1 WR, getting another stud TE, like Kraft would help the run and pass game a lot also. If we can begin getting multiple turnovers from our Defense with short fields for our Offense to score points as well will help us against better teams until reinforcements are back on the OL and WR room....GPG
Bearmeat
September 16, 2025 at 02:08 am
No. They played a Lions team that didn’t respect Jordan Love, geared up to stop the run, and Love made them eat it. It was glorious. Eff Dan Campbell with a rusty poker stick.
And then they played a WAS team, whose strength on defense is the front 4, with two starters out on the OL, on a short week.
This next week they will also play a team with a very strong front 4, who is vulnerable in the back end. Who knows if Tom and Banks will play? I’d expect Jacobs to continue to struggle.
But in Dallas, week 4? That’s where Josh starts to go nuts.
HarryHodag
September 16, 2025 at 06:53 am
1) Have the Packers won the first two games? Yes. (footnote: the Lions scored 52 points this week as a sidebar.)
2) Has the offense overall moved the ball? Yes.
3. Have opposing defenses schemed to stop the run? Yes.
4) Does trying to stop the run open up the passing game? Yes.
5) Does worrying about the run game at this point seem premature? Yes.
6) Does chasing after a seemingly endless array of numbers to find answers seem overdone and silly? Yes.
Ferrari-Driver
September 16, 2025 at 01:01 pm
Harry, I always enjoy your posts. You asked six questions and answered every one of them and I can't disagree with any of your answers. Keep on posting.