It's a small sample size, of course, but Laken Tomlinson is already proving to be a stabilizer of sorts for the Green Bay Packers. The veteran left guard wasted no time making his mark in the club's 17-14 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
No one wants to talk about offensive line play until the issues arise. It's easy to overlook the guys up front because they don't stuff the stat sheet or generate flashy highlights, so let's give Tomlinson credit. He came in and made an immediate impact, as quantified by the instant improvement of the entire Packers operation.
Green Bay was able to move the ball (marginally) better through the air and on the ground with Tomlinson compared to without him. The eye test and box score agree.
Packers' offensive stats in Weeks 1-3 vs. Week 4
Stat | Weeks 1-3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|
Rushing success rate | 30th | 22nd |
Passing success rate | 29th | 8th |
Expected points added per play | 25th | 17th |
Packers quickly reap benefits of Laken Tomlinson signing
While those are far from world-beating numbers, they're notable improvements; the Packers went from awful to functional in Tomlinson's debut. He made life easier for an offense where gaining yards felt like pulling teeth, with franchise quarterback Jordan Love being arguably the biggest beneficiary.
Love was pressured on 3.3 percent of his dropbacks against the Buccaneers. That's the lowest rate among all QBs in Week 4, excluding Monday Night Football, compared to 38.6 percent in his first three games this season. He also left a contest without taking a sack for the first time.
Not to mention, Green Bay had their best and most voluminous rushing output of 2026. They posted 86 yards on 25 carries in Tampa Bay, including their two long runs thus far, and it's not particularly close. Tomlinson helped clear the way for running back Kaleb Johnson's 31-yard burst in the third quarter.
Just wait until the Packers pair Tomlinson with Kevin Zeitler, another established blocker whom they also recently signed, on the interior. Suddenly, things are trending up for a unit that has been a black hole.
It's only a matter of time before Kevin Zeitler makes Packers' OL even better
Zeitler didn't suit up in the victory over Tampa Bay after joining Green Bay only a handful of days before. He was a free agent until now, so Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is taking it slowly.
LaFleur told reporters it'd be "unfair" to plug Zeitler in without a proper "ramp-up period." What exactly that means remains unclear, though they will take things "day by day" in the meantime.
Whenever Zeitler is ready to roll, he'll be another solid addition to an O-line that desperately needs reinforcements. The 36-year-old was a Pro Bowler in 2023 and has over a decade of starting NFL experience. He's been one of football's most consistent guards since entering the league in 2012, faring well in both pass and run protection.
Note: Advanced metrics courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite 2.0 ($).
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