Almost every Green Bay Packers failure connects back to the offensive line problems. The deeper you dive into the numbers, the worse it becomes.
Sigh. Here's some perspective on how the offensive line is reaching lows rarely seen in the NFL.
Per Next Gen Stats (via ESPN's Mina Kimes), the Packers allowed 15 quick pressures against the Atlanta Falcons, which is the second most in any NFL game this season. Can you guess what's No. 1? Yes, that would be the 17 quick pressures the Packers surrendered versus the Minnesota Vikings.
It gets worse. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers' pass-block win rate sits at just 16 percent. Since the creation of the metric almost a decade ago, no team has had it worse in its opening three games. For perspective, the Los Angeles Chargers ranked 32nd in the league for pass-block win rate last season at 52 percent. The Packers are at 16 percent. Let that sink in.
You can scheme around one weak link on the offensive line, but the Packers have at least four broken parts, and it's leaving Matt LaFleur with nowhere to run.
So, what can the Packers do? There's no miracle, quick fix. The offensive line won't suddenly become a strength. But this team has to somehow find some competency from the starting five. To give Jordan Love a chance.
Here are three desperate moves they should consider.
Three desperate rolls of the dice the Packers may need to take along the offensive line
1. Fire offensive line coach Luke Butkus
We can file this away in the Matt LaFleur Should've Done This In The Offseason category.
I'll keep arguing that the majority of the Packers' offensive line woes fall on Brian Gutekunst, not LaFleur, but the latter's decision to stick with Luke Butkus always felt like a disaster waiting to happen. Green Bay's offensive line has underperformed for far too long, and at some point, we need to look at the coaching.
To find the most damning evidence, just look at how former Packers linemen are performing elsewhere, including Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker.
Even before Jenkins' season-ending injury last year, he looked nowhere near his Pro Bowl best. Through two weeks with the Cleveland Browns, Jenkins hasn't allowed a single pressure or sack as the starting center. His 79.7 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 17th among all offensive linemen.
The Packers deemed Walker not good enough to retain his left tackle job and turned to 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan. Walker struggled last season, allowing five sacks and giving up 11 penalties.
He is off to an impressive start with the Carolina Panthers. Walker allowed a sack against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 but shut down everything the Chicago Bears threw at him in the opener. His PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 26th among all offensive linemen.
LaFleur and Butkus haven't got a wealth of talent to work with, but the communication problems? The confusion at the line? The fundamentals? That's on the coaches.
Don't count on anything happening, but it's time for LaFleur to wake up.
"I'm not even going to respond to that question," LaFleur said on Thursday night when asked if he'd consider a coaching change.
2. Sign Kevin Zeitler
Good luck finding solutions in free agency. The Packers don't have many other options, though.
Kevin Zeitler is 36 years old, and it's fair to wonder why he's still a free agent. Teams are always looking for offensive line help or added depth. It could suggest teams don't believe the former Pro Bowler has much left in the tank.
The Packers may need to find out for themselves. For what it's worth, Zeitler still performed at a high level for the Tennessee Titans last season, so there hasn't been any indication that he's in drastic decline.
His PFF grade ranked 13th among 81 guards, and he was ninth in pass protection. That is music to Love's ears.
Can he still perform at a Pro Bowl level? It's been three seasons since he made the Pro Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, but Zeitler followed it with strong seasons in Detroit and Tennessee.
Here's a better question: Is 2026 Kevin Zeitler really any worse than Jacob Monk?
If nothing else, Zeitler's experience would help ease some of the inexcusable communication problems. He'd help get the offensive line, well, lined up properly, while adding some calmness and consistency.
3. Sign Taylor Decker
Signing Taylor Decker would come with similar risks and upside. It's unclear if he'd even consider joining an NFC North rival, having spent a decade with the Detroit Lions.
In March, Justin Rogers of the Detroit Football Network reported that Decker is "pretty anti playing for the Bears or Packers."
It could be a non-starter, but the Packers should pick up the phone anyway. Would a certain number convince him to sign a one-year deal in Green Bay? Who knows? And let's be clear: There's no guarantee it'd even work.
Decker is only two years removed from a Pro Bowl season with the Detroit Lions, and he allowed only two sacks on 551 pass-block snaps last year, per PFF.
Beyond the NFC North connection, another roadblock is that the Packers would likely need Decker to move to right tackle unless they shifted Jordan Morgan to the other side of the line. He also recently turned 33 and has battled an ongoing shoulder injury.
Like Zeitler, though, he'd bring the experience and stability the Packers desperately need. Would it work? Would he even sign? That's two big questions, but Green Bay may need to give it a shot.
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