Blame-O-Meter: Who’s at Fault for Packers’ Offensive Line Train Wreck?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There’s nothing fine about the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line.

With the Monday night game to be played, the Packers’ line has given up more pressures in the passing game than any other team. While the sack count has been manageable, the unit has given up 20 quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus. No other team has allowed more than 10.

Meanwhile, the Packers also are last in the league with 3.04 yards per rushing attempt.

The mini-bye following a 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons couldn’t have come at a better time.

In a something-is-better-than-nothing personnel move, general manager Brian Gutekunst bolstered the line on Saturday by signing veteran Laken Tomlinson off the Cowboys’ practice squad. Whether the 34-year-old has any gas in the tank remains to be seen, but it’s worth a shot.

Meanwhile, and most importantly, coach Matt LaFleur, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and offensive line coach Luke Butkus had three extra days to address the myriad of issues that have run the offense into a ditch. There have been too many mental and physical breakdowns for the offense to function. Hence, Jordan Love has taken a beating and the running game’s early production has it trending toward being the worst in NFL history.

Who’s to blame for the big, stinky mess? Let’s turn to the Blame-O-Meter, which assigns the blame on a 10-point scale.

GM Brian Gutekunst: 8 Out of 10

The blame has to start with the man who picked the players.

It’s not as if Gutekunst hasn’t thrown resources at the position. Left tackle Jordan Morgan was a first-round pick. Right tackle Anthony Belton was a second-round pick. Sean Rhyan was a third-round pick.

Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele was given a four-year, $88 million contract extension. Left guard Aaron Banks, a second-round pick by the 49ers, was given a four-year, $77 million contract. Rhyan was retained on the eve of free agency with a three-year, $33 million contract.

Among the preferred starters, the only low-priced player from either a financial or draft perspective is right guard Jacob Monk, a former fifth-round pick. Jager Burton, who started against the Falcons with Banks out once again, was a fifth-round pick this year.

The Packers are 19th in offensive line spending, thanks to Morgan, Belton, Monk and Belton being on rookie contracts.

Gutekunst gave great-player money to Banks, who had never been great but did have an injury history. The signing of Banks meant the eventual release of Elgton Jenkins, who is off to a strong start at center for the surprising Browns.

The jury is out on Morgan and Belton, a pair of premium draft picks who have not played to their draft-status expectations. In 2024, the Packers could have selected Tyler Guyton, who is an ascending left tackle for the Cowboys. In 2025, they could have selected Tate Ratledge, who has quickly emerged as a high-quality starting right guard for the Lions.

It’s obviously too early to give up on Morgan and Belton, who are young in their starting careers, but Guyton at left tackle, an interior of Rhyan, Jenkins and Ratledge, and Bako-Bewele at right tackle would have been formidable.

Assistant Coaches: 7 Out of 10

The shuffling of linemen at practice and the search for the “best five” makes sense but it comes with drawbacks.

The Packers used a first-round pick on Morgan in 2024 with the goal of making him the long-term starter at left tackle. Instead, they stuck with Rasheed Walker as the starter in 2024 and 2025 and made Morgan a utility player, which did absolutely nothing to get him ready to be the starting left tackle this season. A third-year player like Morgan should be in the prime of his career. Instead, he’s essentially a rookie playing the most important position on the line.

They’re going down a similar path with Belton. A college left tackle, he was anchored at tackle during his rookie training camp, even though there was a hole at right guard. Finally, at midseason, the Packers threw him in at right guard because of Morgan’s struggles. That’s where he spent the first half of training camp this summer before the Packers opted to go with Monk and move Belton back to tackle.

It’s not just the personnel decisions, which aren’t entirely under the purview of the assistants. First, there’s draft. Second, there’s develop. Has Gutekunst picked bad players or have the players been given bad coaching?

Whatever is being coached and emphasized by Butkus isn’t showing up during the games. Getting beat physically is one thing, but getting beat mentally beyond the occasional miscue is unacceptable.

Got to see it and communicate it. There are plays to be made; instead, the QB is getting demolished. pic.twitter.com/7Y3dcmEvOC
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 26, 2026

Unblocked stunts and blitzes have led to a parade of defenders sprinting into the backfield to get their shot at Love, who has taken a pummeling through three games. The combined 46 rushing attempts by the backs have averaged 0.9 yards before contact.

Given two weeks to get ready for the Vikings, the line seemed completely unprepared for Brian Flores’ blitzing in the opener. On Thursday, the Packers had as much success with the Falcons’ blitzes and stunts in the first quarter as they did the fourth quarter – which is to say almost none. It’s the coaches’ job to find answers and adjust. That didn’t happen. And hasn’t happened.

Players: 7 Out of 10

Ultimately, the players have to do their jobs. What, for instance, are Rhyan and Belton doing on the fourth-and-1 that sealed the Packers’ fate against the Falcons?

Definitely not an original thought, but what are Rhyan and Belton doing on fourth-and-1? pic.twitter.com/qTcoouTcyD
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 28, 2026

Why did nobody block this Falcons defender who blew up a well-designed screen that had a chance to be a huge play?

You might have saw the @danorlovsky7 clip yesterday, but I had a big "WTF" on my play-by-play when this happened. This was great design by LaFleur, ruined because the guards didn't block. pic.twitter.com/FijVy8yzpq
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 26, 2026

The linemen haven’t consistently created openings in the run game. They haven’t stayed in front of their man in the pass game. They haven’t communicated blitzes. They haven’t passed off stunts.

A lot of this is rudimentary football. Yes, they can be coached better but the blockers have to block.

PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency measures sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-protecting snaps. Among 67 offensive tackles with at least 80 total blocking snaps, Belton is 51st and Morgan is 53rd. Among 66 guards, Monk is 62nd and Burton is 66th. Among 31 centers, Rhyan is 24th.

Coach Matt LaFleur: 6.5 Out of 10

The buck stops with the head coach. He’s the one who promoted Stenavich to offensive coordinator and Butkus to line coach in 2022, meaning they are in their fifth year in their jobs. The line has never been a force during that tenure.

As the offensive mastermind, LaFleur’s job is to put his players in the best position to succeed. So, it’s still rather incredible to think back to this line from him after Thursday’s game.

“I don’t know what we’re doing well offensively,” he said. “We can all see the benefit of having a strong rushing attack, how you can get into normal rhythm on offense and that’ll open up a lot of things in the passing game. But anytime you drop back 50-some-odd times in a game and have nine rushes, it’s usually not going to bode well for you.”

No, it’s not. During the LaFleur era, teams running the ball 10 times or less in a game are 0-19. It was LaFleur who called 12 passes and three runs in the first quarter, when it was a 7-7 game.

To be sure, it’s not LaFleur’s fault that Banks has been injured and unreliable and Bako-Bewele missed the end of last season and will miss the rest of this season with a knee injury. They should be the two main cogs on the offensive line.

But LaFleur is the one who has stuck with Butkus. He’s the one who calls the plays and sets the vision on the offense.

Injuries have played a role in the Packers’ getting clobbered. Now, injuries might get them back on their feet. ⬇️https://t.co/qyUj7UpnzL
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 28, 2026

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