9 Big Things from the Green Bay Packers 2021 Season
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers OL shows off their depth
At one point late in the season, rookie right guard Royc Newman was the only Green Bay Packers offensive lineman who was playing his original Week 1 position.
With David Bakhtiari sidelined for all but 27 snaps, along with Green Bay losing Elgton Jenkins, Billy Turner, and Josh Myers for extended time, there was a lot of movement along the offensive front, which included seven different offensive line configurations. Yet even with that being the case, this group held up incredibly well.
For the most part, along with some help from Aaron Rodgers and the quick passing game, the offensive line provided him with enough time in the pocket. And although the run game didn’t produce as many big plays, they were still effective enough, averaging 4.2 yards per rush.
When it was all said and done, the Green Bay Packers ranked fifth in pass-blocking by ESPN’s metrics and fourth in run-blocking–although I’ll also point out that by PFF’s metrics, the Packers ranked 23rd in run-blocking.
No, this unit wasn’t as dominant as they were in 2020, but that shouldn’t have been the expectation. If other offensive lines around the NFL had to deal with the injuries and position changes that the Packers did, most would have crumbled–Green Bay, however, still produced a top-10 offense and was the NFC’s No. 1 seed.