The Green Bay Packers are reaping what they sowed. Their recent string of desperate moves was Brian Gutekunst's attempt to solve a mess of his own creation, and the whole situation was as avoidable as it was predictable.
The Packers' offensive line woes aren't anything new. Jordan Love is running for his life on every dropback, and it's hard to believe he'll finish the season if they don't find a way to keep him out of harm's way.
That's why watching the Chicago Bears dominate with their third-string quarterback is twice as painful. If anything, it reminds the Packers what they should've done and didn't, and how the Bears actually got it right.
The Packers should've taken a page out of the Bears' book
Last offseason, Bears general manager Ryan Poles doubled down on their commitment to fixing the offensive line. He saw Caleb Williams be the most-sacked quarterback in the game, and he took matters into his own hands.
If that wasn't enough, he made sure the Bears had the deepest quarterback room in the game. Not only would Williams have a veteran mentor in Case Keenum, but also a game-ready backup like Tyson Bagent.
Why couldn't the Packers do the same? What if Love gets hurt? Can they really trust Tyrod Taylor to hold down the fort? Will they be as fortunate as they were when Malik Willis kept the ship afloat last season?
Injuries always happen in this game, but not giving the quarterback any time or space to operate in the pocket is a recipe for disaster. This time, the Packers would be entirely to blame if anything were to happen to their quarterback.
For years, the Bears were the Packers' laughing stock, but we gotta give it to them. They've committed to their franchise quarterback, and they're making sure he has everything he needs on and off the field.
Brian Gutekunst could've done the same. They could've made a bigger investment in the quarterback room, and they shouldn't have waited until Week 3 to fix what was clearly the worst offensive line in football.
Instead, they're being forced to watch how their lifelong rivals win games they should've lost while having a third-string quarterback and a third-string left tackle on the field. All while putting up 27 points against a Super Bowl contender.
There's still time to turn things around, but even with some new faces in that five-man unit, this team will have to rely on Jordan Love much more than they should. This was all predictable and, much more importantly, avoidable.
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