The Green Bay Packers are rolling into a Week 14 showdown with the Chicago Bears, and one of the players who has them within arm’s reach of the top spot in the NFC is Anthony Belton.
Belton’s rise has been a surprising development in the past few weeks as the rookie has wrestled the starting spot at right guard away from Jordan Morgan. While he took over the job with a strong performance in a Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Belton didn’t look like the same player, allowing six pressures according to Pro Football Focus, and almost committing a costly false start in a Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions.
Despite the performance, fans didn’t seem overly concerned about Belton’s performance. Matt LaFleur apparently felt the same way, as he told reporters, including The Leap’s Jason B. Hirschhorn, that he was pleased with the way Belton handled his first career start.
“I thought he did a good job,” LaFleur said. “It wasn’t perfect. It never is going to be. There were a couple moments I think he’ll learn from and get better from. I thought, all in all, he brings a level of physicality.”
Anthony Belton Gives the Packers What They Want at Right Guard
As LaFleur pointed out, Belton’s day wasn’t perfect, and that’s been the story of his rookie season. Belton was a second-round pick by the Packers in April’s draft, and his preseason was marred by eight penalties (two declined), including a five-flag performance in the second preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. After starting the season as an offensive tackle, Belton shifted to guard two weeks ago and almost immediately found his way into the starting lineup.
While he was solid against the Vikings, he wasn’t as great against the Lions. According to PFF, Belton posted a season-low 37.7 overall grade and an even worse 20.4 pass blocking grade. His near-flag came on a pivotal fourth and goal just before halftime, but was saved when the officials granted LaFleur a timeout even though it appeared to be after Belton’s infraction.
For the roller coaster ride that Belton has become, he also brings what LaFleur wants in his guard. At 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds, Belton is a mauler whose 107-inch broad jump ranked in the 71st percentile of prospects at this year’s combine, according to MockDraftable. As a rookie, he also has time to grow into his new position, giving the Packers a long-term answer on an offensive line that appears to be in a transitional phase.
This means that one bad game isn’t enough to pull the plug and give Morgan his job back. However, Belton will have to continue being the player the Packers expect to help this team continue its push toward the No. 1 seed.