Robert Tonyan key for Packers offense against New England

As Robert Tonyan continues to work his way back into form early on this season following an ACL injury in 2021, the Green Bay Packers have been easing him in. However, this week against New England, Tonyan could play a key role in this offense that will be tested by Bill Belichick.

Through three games, Tonyan has played 44% of the offensive snaps, whereas in 2020 — his last fully healthy season — he played 62% of the Packers’ offensive snaps. He has remained efficient in the passing game, however, catching 11 of 13 passes but at only 7.6 yards per catch per PFF.

There are many reasons why the 2021 Packers offense wasn’t as effective as it had been in 2020, but one major contributor was not having Tonyan in the mix. No other Packers tight end can impact the passing game like Tonyan can, whether that be over the middle, down the seam, or in the red zone.

As tight ends coach John Dunn told reporters on Thursday, getting Tonyan back to his previous form is not only about increasing his snap count and opportunities but, perhaps most importantly, gaining continued confidence in his knee.

"“Every time he’s out there he just keeps getting more and more and more confidence in his play, in his body,” said Dunn via Packers.com. “So for him, I think he’s starting to settle in in terms of just getting back, because it takes reps, right? It takes reps to get back in the flow, get on the same page, get your stamina back to being in football shape. So, every day he’s out there, he keeps getting more and more comfortable.”This Sunday, the Packers take on the New England Patriots, who have struggled to cover tight ends this season, particularly over the middle of the field, which could lead to a big day for Tonyan."

Through three games this season, tight ends are averaging nine targets per game against New England, which is the third most in football, and the 5.67 catches per game by tight ends is the seventh most—although facing Mark Andrews in Week 3 has helped inflate those numbers a bit.

To the Patriots’ credit, they’ve done well at limiting those receptions from tight ends to just 8.35 yards per catch, which ranks 26th, but tight ends have been able to find the end zone, scoring 1.3 touchdowns per game, the most in the NFL.

To make matters more challenging for the Patriots, they may be without safety Kyle Dugger, who missed last week’s game with a knee injury and has been a limited participant this week in practice. Dugger has spent a majority of his snaps this season in the box as a big and versatile presence who can cover tight ends as well as running backs.

When facing Pat Freiermuth of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike D’Abate of Patriots Maven wrote that in order to take him out of his rhythm, the Patriots wanted to limit the number of soft zones and flat combinations that Freiermuth saw. Perhaps New England will try to take a similar approach this week with Tonyan.

As Matt LaFleur talked about this week, you never truly know what to expect from a Bill Belichick defense. But what we do know is that he will try to take away what’s important to the opponent. For the Packers, that begins with slowing Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon in the run game. If New England can do that, moving the ball will become all the more challenging for the Packers’ offense.

But on the flip side, the added emphasis on slowing the run game could lead to opportunities in the quick passing game, specifically for Tonyan over the middle, where he may have some catch and run potential on Sunday—although against Belichick, that still likely won’t come easy.