Packers OL — Mostly — at Full Strength for Primetime Clash With Raiders

After a game in which he was sacked five times, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love should have a little bit of relief in Week 5.

Four of the team’s five preferred starters along the offensive line will be back in action for Monday night’s game against Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders. Elgton Jenkins, who sprained his medial collateral ligament in the September 17 clash with the Atlanta Falcons, was removed entirely from the injury report.

The Packers have started third-year lineman Royce Newman in his place at left guard and it was a struggle. In last week’s Thursday night bout with the Detroit Lions, Newman was responsible for allowing five pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. In the two games Jenkins was shelved for, he surrendered nine pressures total.

In addition to Jenkins, the Packers will have Jon Runyan Jr. back in his natural spot of right guard. He’s been listed on the practice report all week with ankle and groin injuries, however, neither hindrance will keep him out of the lineup against the Raiders. Zach Tom, the Packers’ starting right tackle, didn’t receive a game designation despite his knee injury and he’ll be back on the field.

Tom hasn’t been forced to miss any time and he’ll have the opportunity to avenge a lackluster performance versus the Lions. It was arguably the second-year lineman’s worst game as a pro, allowing a team-high six pressures.

Reinforcements have arrived at the best possible time — much to the pleasure of Love — with All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby on the slate for Monday night. Crosby is tied for the league lead in pressures with 27 and can single-handedly tilt the outcome of any game. After Monday, the Packers will enter their bye week and won’t be back on the field until October 22.

Left Tackle Job Is Rasheed Walker’s to Lose

For the fourth consecutive game, the Packers are going to start Rasheed Walker at left tackle. The former seventh-round pick is seeing extensive playing time after an encouraging performance in the preseason and it’ll be his job to lose for the remainder of the year.

After playing in the Packers’ regular-season opener, David Bakhtiari discovered that he’ll once again need to undergo multiple operations on his knee.

Bakhtiari, who hasn’t surrendered a sack since December 27, 2020, has endured setback after setback with his knee. He originally tore his anterior cruciate ligament on New Year’s Eve in 2020, but by the end of this season, he’ll have had five separation operations on it under his belt — mostly to drain fluid and repair cartilage.

There was some initial optimism that he’d be able to return at some point this season after the Packers moved him to injured reserve, but he confirmed on Friday that he’ll be sidelined for the remainder of the year.

It’s a devastating blow for both Bakhtiari and the Packers. While he did mention that the hope is he’ll be ready by the start of training camp next summer, there’s a chance that he’s played his final snap in Green Bay.

Packers’ Skill Players Getting Healthier

Last week marked the first time all season that Love had a full complement of weaponry with the return of both running back Aaron Jones and wideout Christian Watson.

Both players, though, played less than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps. Jones hadn’t played since injuring his hamstring in the September 10 win over the Chicago Bears and it was the season debut for Watson who, like Jones, was nagged by a hamstring injury.

After a 10-day gap between games, both players should be at — or at least near — full strength without much of a pitch count against the Raiders. Jones is questionable whereas Watson was removed entirely from the team’s injury report.

Luke Musgrave, who exited last week’s game against the Lions after just 14 snaps with a concussion, was also removed from the injury report. He’s cleared the league’s concussion protocol and will be back in action.