Packers: Five standout performances from Week 12 win vs. Bears
By Jesse Fry
3. Packers offensive line
Stat line: Zero sacks, 182 yards rushing
Akiem Hicks may have been missing in the game but the Bears still had plenty of firepower to get after Aaron Rodgers.
Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Mario Edwards, and Roquan Smith were still on the field yet all of them were shutout in the sack column.
Billy Turner and David Bakhtiari kept the dominating Mack at bay all game long. With no luck coming against Bakhtiari, Chuck Pagano tried Turner on the other side to the same result.
Protecting Rodgers is usually first and second priority for an offensive lineman in Green Bay. But that paving the way for the ground game is just as important.
Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Jon Runyan, Lucas Patrick, Turner and Corey Linsley did just that to the tune of over 180 yards on the ground. That is in large part thanks to the interior of Green Bay’s line. Jenkins, Patrick, Runyan, and Linsley opened up big holes for Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones to run through.
Jenkins has been a superb player since being drafted in the second round in 2019. He has played all over the line and filled in seamlessly at center mid-game two weeks in a row when Linsley left the game because of injury.
The Packers have to be equally happy with the play of the rookie Runyan. Runyan has been called into action against some pretty stiff competition and not batted an eye. He can maul in the run game and hasn’t been beat badly in pass rush.
With Bakhtiari and Turner locked up for another few years, and Jenkins and Runyan in their second and rookie years, the Packers have a solid foundation for years to come.