Green Bay Packers 2022 regular season superlatives before Week 1
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers 2022 regular season superlatives
X-Factor: the offensive line
We can look at the receiver position as what is going to make or break this Packers’ offense in 2022, but really it is the offensive line play.
Last year’s unit dealt with injuries, and even with all of the movement, they held their own. However, this group wasn’t nearly as dominant as they had been in 2020 — as expected — and had to be game planned for.
The run game wasn’t nearly as effective, as the Packers went from averaging 4.8 yards per rush in 2020 to 4.2. Aaron Rodgers was also pressured more often — by quite a bit — even though he got the ball out at the fastest rate that he has in the last decade.
Getting David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins back will obviously help a ton. But so will Jon Runyan and Josh Myers having some experience under their belts. If the Packers are going to find consistent success on offense this season, it begins up front.
Bounce-back candidate: Mason Crosby
In terms of field goal percentage, Mason Crosby had the second-worst season of his career in 2021, making just 73% of his 34 attempts–which included nine misses.
He’s also 38-years-old and coming off a summer spent on the PUP list, so I can understand why you may not be overflowing with optimism.
However, while at the end of the day, Crosby is the one kicking the ball, not all of those nine misses fall on him. The blocking from this field goal unit was very poor at times. We also saw bad snaps and holds as well.
If the players around Crosby can improve, which hopefully they do under Rich Bisaccia, that alone should lead to a much improved season.
Don’t forget about Aaron Jones
Perhaps we didn’t hear much about Aaron Jones this summer because he is one of the established players, but when it comes to making this offense go, he may be the most important skill-position player.
There is the obvious in what he brings as a ball carrier, but he’s also been very active in the passing game, ranking second on the team in targets for three straight seasons behind only Davante Adams.
He also can line up just about anywhere on the field, which creates mismatches, not only for himself but for his teammates. To put it simply, Jones’ presence — even without touching the ball — unlocks a lot of freedom for Matt LaFleur and his play calling.