The Green Bay Packers just had the statement win they needed. Not only did they get their first divisional win, but they absolutely crushed the same Chicago Bears team that got the best of them in the playoffs.
It was a near-perfect evening for Matt LaFleur's team, even with Trey Smack leaving seven points on the field. And while most people will look at the final score, the tape and advanced stats tell an even more encouraging picture.
The Packers' once-shaky offensive line had its second great game in a row. Notably, they did so with Kevin Zeitler still in street clothes, and LaFleur's explanation not to play him only shows that the best is yet to come for this team.
The Packers now have a good offensive line problem
“I thought Glove, going back to last week in his performance in Tampa, earned the right to continue to go out there,” the coach said postgame. “And Zeitler, he just got here. He’s only had one true week of practice. He’s had one solid week of practice where he was getting team reps. It’s always a tough decision, but that’s the decision we made.”
LaFleur wasn't wrong. Glover did a solid job in this one, giving up just a couple of pressures and one quarterback hit and opening up lanes for the running game. Of course, Zeitler's pedigree would make one think that he'd be the starter right away, but Grover is giving him a run for his money, and they gave up just six pressures in Week 5.
This is the best possible situation for this team. They went from having a comically bad offensive line to actually being able to keep the quarterback in harm's way, and it all started when Laken Tomlinson got in the building.
Zeitler is a plug-and-play guy, and while he's only been here for a while, he'd probably do just fine if they got him on the field. But the fact that LaFleur has enough confidence in Grover and that he's proving him right only shows this line hasn't come even close to its full potential.
Knowing there's someone there who can take your spot is the best way to motivate a player to be in his Ps and Qs. The Packers' borderline-amateur line was a problem not only because of their dreadful performances, but also because of their lack of depth.
It's nice to see that this team has finally stopped shuffling guys and moving them out of their positions for a change. And while Jordan Morgan has still left plenty to be desired at left tackle, this team is finally trending in the right direction.
Aaron Banks will also have to fight with bones and nails to take the field once he's back to full strength, but it's hard to believe he'll recover his spot if Tomlinson continues to play this way.
It's crazy how much things can change in just two weeks.
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