The number hardly seems possible, but it matches the eye test: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores blitzed the Green Bay Packers at an 82.1 percent clip in last week's loss.
The next closest team? The Washington Commanders, at 50.9 percent. After that? Head coach Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets at 44.9. Fresh off a 23-10 win over Tennessee, the Jets just happen to be Green Bay's next opponent.
The offensive line clearly wasn't ready to handle Flores and the Vikings. Glenn isn't the same defensive wizard, but he also has more talent up front.
Translation: The Packers better figure out their protections or get ready to be embarrassed again in Week 2.
Packers' task won't be any easier fending off the Jets up front
A qualifier on the Jets' performance is that they were, after all, facing Titans quarterback Cam Ward and a collectively putrid offense. So there's that.
Of course, the Packers themselves are coming off one of Week 1's worst, if not the worst offensive-line performances. No one earned a PFF grade above the bottom third at their position. Makes sense.
Jordan Love can navigate a bad offensive line better than a young passer like Ward, but the Jets also have a more formidable defensive front than what Flores has in Minnesota.
Rookie edge rusher David Bailey, the second overall pick, announced his NFL debut with a sack. The defensive line features sturdy veterans Harrison Philips and David Onyemata. Five-time All-Pro Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood represent a strong linebacking corps. Former Packer Kingsley Enagbare adds reinforcement off the bench.
As a whole, the Jets defense held Tennessee to an anemic 195 yards of offense on four yards per play, and looked good doing it. They'll have a tougher task locking down Love and his receivers, but Green Bay's offensive-line crisis makes up for a lot, in the wrong kind of way.
Meaning: the Packers need to figure out what went wrong and fix it before traveling to New Jersey. They don't have to have all the answers, but cobbling together a capable crew is an urgent necessity. Personnel changes will only go so far; this group might require some fundamental re-coaching.
Expect Glenn to crank up the blitz rate until the Packers prove they can hold serve.
Something else to keep in mind is Glenn's stint as defensive coordinator for the division rival Detroit Lions, giving him some first-hand insight into Matt LaFleur's offense and tendencies, even as the roster has changed over the past two offseasons since Glenn left Detroit.
Love is a league above Ward, to be sure, but what about the run game? The Packers ranked 19th in yards before contact, and that was with the Vikings selling out in the pass rush.
Against a more talented Jets front, stabilizing the offensive line has to be priority No. 1 in LaFleur's Week 2 game plan. We don't need a disastrous start to the season going from bad to worse.
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