Five Reasons the Packers Offense Will Be Fine This Season

The Green Bay Packers offense got off to a less than stellar start to the 2022 NFL season last week in Minnesota. The Pack scored only seven points all game, turned the ball over twice and never really got into a rhythm.

But it’s far too soon to panic when thinking about the offense and the potential it has to get back on track.

Here are five reasons that the Packers offense will be just fine this season although it may take some time for them to reach their full potential:

5. Robert Tonyan Will Get Healthier and Is Hungry

The Packers were fortunate to have top receiving tight end Robert Tonyan back in the lineup for Week 1 although the former Indiana State star was on a play count and was in the lineup for just 36 percent of the Packers offensive snaps.

Tonyan still made three catches for 36 yards in limited action including a 23-yard catch that was a good sign that he is well on the road to recovery.

Tonyan’s knee should improve and his ability to play more snaps should go up the further away he gets from his knee injury.

The big tight end also signed a one-year, prove-it deal which gives him every incentive to shine this season to set himself up for his next contract.

4. The Running Backs Will Be Utilized More Effectively

The Packers have two talented and proven running backs with complimentary skill sets in Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. Unfortunately, Matt LaFleur didn’t utilize them well in Week 1, giving them a combined 15 rushes and 23 touches all game.

LaFleur admitted this was a mistake and it’s something he will look to correct in Week 2 against the Bears and beyond.

Look for Jones and Dillon to both be more involved in the offense both as ball carries and pass receivers especially early in the year while quarterback Aaron Rodgers lacks confidence in his young receiving corps.

3. The Offensive Line Will Get Healthier

The Packers played Week 1 without their two best offensive linemen as both David Bakhtiari and Elgon Jenkins remained sidelined after previous knee surgeries. They also left starting left guard Jon Runyan, Jr. early in the third quarter when he suffered a concussion.

The good news is that all three players practiced this week and were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bears.

It is not certain when Jenkins and Bakhtiari will return and when they will be back to their previous form. But when they do, the offensive line play will gain talent, leadership and experience. That should help give Rodgers more time to find his new receivers and open more holes for the running game.

The offensive linen is the engine that makes the offense go and getting their best players back in the lineup will be a boost for the offense when it happens.

2. The Young Receivers Will Emerge

It will take time and it is a process, but the Packers young receivers will emerge. Although he had a critical drop on the game’s first offensive play, the Week 1 performance did show why Christian Watson was drafted so high by the Packers. The rookie has great size and speed and was effective when asked to execute the end around. Watson finished the game with two catches for 34 yards.

Romeo Doubs also had some moments that illustrated his abilities. His four catches led all Packers wideouts in this game and he was also effective on his end around, gaining 11 yards on the play.

The Packers really need just one of their young receivers to emerge before the season is over. Both Doubs and Watson have the ability but need to put in the time to learn the playbook and develop chemistry with their quarterback. If that happens and Allen Lazard remains healthy, the Packers receiving corps should be much better later in the season than it was in Week 1.

1. They Still Have Aaron Rodgers

Yes, Rodgers didn’t play particularly well against the Vikings. Even a four-time NFL MVP has his share of bad games. But he started last season off with an even worse Week 1 performance in 2021 and managed to rebound and have a great season.

Rodgers gives the Packers the most valuable commodity in the modern NFL, an elite quarterback. That gives them a chance to win nearly every game they play. By the end of the season, Rodgers’ good games should far outnumber his shaky ones and that is good news for the Green Bay offense.

 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.

__________________________

You can follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers

__________________________

NFL Categories: 
0 points
 

Comments (28)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Coldworld's picture

September 17, 2022 at 11:21 am

Hanson is bagging groceries?

6 points
8
2
10ve 💚's picture

September 17, 2022 at 02:57 pm

I wish!

-1 points
0
1
Swisch's picture

September 17, 2022 at 11:35 am

(1) I still think the Packers should have signed MVS, but since he's gone . . .
(2) . . . let's sign Cole Beasley, who as a savvy veteran would connect with Aaron Rodgers long before the rookies do. He'll improve our chances toward a Super Bowl considerably.
(3) Also, give Juwann Winfree lots of opportunities as someone who knows well the Packers offense and seems to work well with Rodgers.

-11 points
1
12
PackyCheese500's picture

September 17, 2022 at 07:03 pm

We don’t need another receiver. Between the guys we have, Winfree, and Travis Fulham (don’t forget about him), Rodgers can pull it off. What we do need is OLB depth…we don’t have any and that was painfully evident vs MIN. We NEED to sign Jason Pierre Paul ASAP

-4 points
0
4
Packerpasty's picture

September 18, 2022 at 12:58 pm

need a another TE more than a WR...

1 points
1
0
Since'61's picture

September 17, 2022 at 12:16 pm

Straighten out the OL and the offense will be fine. Our QB and RBs are among the best in the league. Our receivers will evolve as the season goes on and they will get a solid boost when Lazard is ready to go. Defense and STs need to do their part. It will take time and patience but they will get there. Go Pack Go!
Thanks, Since '61

8 points
9
1
splitpea1's picture

September 17, 2022 at 12:29 pm

We're going to need two rookie receivers to emerge. How much production do you think we'll get out of Cobb and Watkins and will they make it through the season without getting dinged up. We need to utilize Watson's speed in whatever capacity we can. And Tonyan needs to stay healthy for most of the season because we probably won't get a ton of receptions from the other TEs. It would be nice to see Deguara do something besides block, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards very often.

6 points
6
0
PatrickGB's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:45 pm

Split, I agree. And I think that it’s likely that Cobb and or Watson will get injured at some point in the season. I doubt that AmRodgers steps up so one or both (or maybe all three) rookie WR’s end up getting a lot of snaps.

2 points
2
0
Coldworld's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:50 pm

And that’s if Watkins is decent and healthy. On his showing last week we have one veteran regular snap guy, if he’s healthy. Two if you count Tonyan.

2 points
2
0
Ritzy's picture

September 17, 2022 at 12:31 pm

Good points overall Gil. The main problem with the Pack is the offensive line. The offense won't take off until Jenkins and Bakhtiari return. Frankly I think the team is doing a disservice to us fans by not giving a clear indication when either of the two will be back. Getting tired of the "return is imminent". Give us the real lowdown on both. Why haven't they played yet? Just need some straight answers.

4 points
5
1
Packerlifer's picture

September 17, 2022 at 12:44 pm

I'm looking forward to seeing the line play at home, on real grass outdoors, as opposed to that noise rigged stadium the New Jersey billionaires have in Minisota.

2 points
2
0
NitschkeFromTheGrave's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:21 pm

Good post, In addition to your point, this is not a problem that popped up last week or in the recent past. The staff and MLF has had 8 months to fix it, MN rebuilt their entire coaching staff including the front office team in the same time and we can't fill a couple of holes in the OL? Belachek says it best, "if a player goes down WHO'S NEXT?, They had better be ready to play, or else..."
Think about it.

4 points
4
0
HawkPacker's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:28 pm

'The offense won't take off until Jenkins and Bakhtiari return. '

Or at least until Jenkins returns as they are pretty good now at left tackle compared to the right side. Jenkins needs to be penciled in at RT.

0 points
0
0
TarynsEyes's picture

September 17, 2022 at 02:43 pm

It's a need to know basis, and the fans are last on the need to know list. The good news is the fans are first on the speculation list.

6 points
6
0
dobber's picture

September 17, 2022 at 02:34 pm

"Frankly I think the team is doing a disservice to us fans by not giving a clear indication when either of the two will be back. "

They're also doing their opponents a disservice, which I think ranks a little more highly on a weekly basis.

4 points
4
0
NitschkeFromTheGrave's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:04 pm

I am 100% with @Since'61 above, with one word of warning.
Aaron "diva" Rogers needs to come down off his high horse and get with the team on a mental level. We are seeing fans speak out about this. If the fans can see it believe me when I say, "the undertow rumbles" in the locker room are 10X more prevalent and it's a toxic cancer that needs eradication. MLF had better pay attention because if the players follow through on A.R. MLF is next.

0 points
7
7
Packerpasty's picture

September 18, 2022 at 01:00 pm

you have absolutely no idea what the atmosphere in the locker room is...none, zero...just your speculation.

1 points
1
0
PatrickGB's picture

September 17, 2022 at 01:53 pm

I am not sure about #4 on that list. While I agree that the team should utilize the RB’s more, I am not convinced that they will. They may throw more passes that way but in the traditional role as runners, I don’t expect more reps. Our offensive line is not built for that and is a step down from the talent we had in the past. There is the strong possibility of more sweeps and reverse’s by the receivers. I also am a tad concerned that with only two RB’s on the roster, the team may want to limit reps. All in all that means less running plays.

2 points
2
0
KnockTheSnotOutOfYou's picture

September 17, 2022 at 03:35 pm

My response while likely not popular is meant in earnest.

Can TGR or another capologist break down what percentage of the cap Rodgers salary is for the team this year? I'd really like knowing that.

Secondly, most NFL pundits/talking heads acknowledge ARod did not play particularly well in week 1. Of course, if Watson had caught that very first pass Rodgers would look much better statistically. Regardless, this is the 2nd game in a row where Rodgers did not show up and look sharp. Rodgers does not believe in working with rookie WR's in OTC when he very well knew they needed all the time they could get to work out details of the Offense, and to get in synch with Rodgers. Rodgers never believes in playing in pre-season thinking it is worthless, yet year after year both Rodgers and the offense plays poorly out of the gate. When Rodgers is making the money he does (what % of the cap does he take?) he is unwilling to invest an appropriate amount of time to work with the rookie WR's. This lack of cooperation ends up continually hurting the team even though he claims it doesn't. Now all you read is him saying the rookie WR's need to get up to speed....yada....yada....yada! As a team Captain, MVP QB, and an 18-year veteran he shows minimal leadership & initiative. I question his work effort and his willingness to lead the team in going the extra mile to truly help the rookie WR's. He could have helped them prior to the voluntary camps & OTC. However, his lack of leading and helping the rookie WR's has not stopped him from pouting and making faces when the rookies screw up.

This is not a leader or someone no matter how much money they make who will go that extra step to ensure the Rookie WR's are ready to play week 1 even though he knew months ago Cobb, Lazard, and Watkins were not going to be enough. With the percentage of salary cap Rodgers makes he cannot afford to have bad games. It shouldn't be allowed! Some may think I am joking or not not being serious but he cannot play poorly game after game. He needs to be at the top of his game and outplay the opposing QB. If you are making that much money you need to be a game changer pretty much every game rather than a game here and there. Even though there are a lot of fan base lovers of ARod whom can never objectively acknowledge his failings I think a big part of the Packer problems over the past # of years has actually been Aaron Rodgers himself.

5 points
6
1
Slim11's picture

September 17, 2022 at 04:42 pm

Exactly right!

1 points
2
1
gpt999's picture

September 17, 2022 at 06:13 pm

I am also one of those fans who believes Rodgers is becoming a diva liability. His statements proclaiming that he is hard on young receivers is just his excuse for being visibly upset and impatient in their learning curves. Frankly, his leadership skills outside of his overall past performances are below par. It likely could be a reason why GB can't land any good receivers - like Julio Jones or Landry or even OBJ from last year - to come here. I haven't given up on Rodgers as a premiere QB when all the pieces are around him to be successful. But I am skeptical of his desire to lead young - or even old players - to play hard for him and win?

5 points
7
2
Tundraboy's picture

September 17, 2022 at 09:53 pm

Yeah worthless for him (although from the results maybe not), but not when you have a host of new and mostly rookie WRs. It's another case of it being only about him when it comes to actions. Words now about how having patience with them is just that, words. We shall see as the year progresses.

0 points
1
1
gpt999's picture

September 17, 2022 at 06:03 pm

Good line play - either on offense or defense - equates to success! What's the use of having great backs and fast, young receivers if (1) the MVP QB doesn't have time to pass and/or (2) O linemen can't get any push and open holes? This is BY FAR my main concern about GBs offense. Bakhs situation is causing both player harm and financial harm to GB. If he doesn't become a functioning part of this team ASAP, its a big blow to this teams' overall situation. Hopefully, Jenkins is close. Please let one of them play in week 2! As per Hanson, he looks totally overmatched playing against first string defenses. Maybe that grocery bagging idea isn't too far off...?

3 points
3
0
Tundraboy's picture

September 17, 2022 at 09:55 pm

It all sounds good but I no longer buy that Rodgers will allow, and will actually get the running backs more touches.

0 points
0
0
Rarescope's picture

September 17, 2022 at 10:28 pm

#4 is a joke right? I mean I’m sure this isn’t the first time Gil has seen a football coach’s presser. I’ve been hearing that “gotta stick with the run game” bs line from coaches as far back as I can remember.

3 points
3
0
Crankbait's picture

September 18, 2022 at 07:16 am

I feel that Rodgers is going to get creamed in this game. Love will be in before halftime.
Hope I'm wrong.

1 points
1
0
Fubared's picture

September 18, 2022 at 08:10 am

I'm more worried about that pourous pass d that hasnt been fixed as long as I can remember. Letting teams pass freely down field and scoring quickly like the Vikes did and then coming on the field and trying to run, the clock runs out of you.

1 points
1
0
Packerpasty's picture

September 18, 2022 at 01:03 pm

MLF shouldn't get a pass with some of his head scratching decisions, like the use of his running backs and then saying time and again, "we have to run the ball more"....he is starting to sound like Big Mike....

1 points
1
0