Remember that 1-2 start to the season for the Green Bay Packers? They won their next three games before losing a controversial matchup to the Detroit Lions this past Sunday in what may have been the worst-officiated game of the season so far. The good thing is, the Packers put that all behind them on Thursday night.
They defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-19 to improve to 5-3 on the season and keep pace in a competitive NFC North. The Packers had a favorable matchup, as the Panthers rostered the worst run defense in the NFL, as evidenced by this past weekend, when they surrendered 258 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The issue with the Packers is that they have the worst rushing offense in the NFL, and they proved it.
Despite the favorable matchup, the Packers only mustered 66 rushing yards on 26 carries. Josh Jacobs picked up just 39 rushing yards on 21 carries, giving him an average of 1.9 yards per carry.
While most of the attention until the November 10 trade deadline will be on whether the Indianapolis Colts trade Jonathan Taylor, the Packers can't be too all in on him. As great as he is, the Packers need interior offensive line help in the worst way. They have talented enough running backs on the roster. They just don't have the best run blocking in front of them.
Packers need interior offensive line help over a running back at trade deadline
Quenton Nelson was easily the best player to address that issue, but he's now in the Pacific Northwest. So, who could the Packers target?
Well, the next best option could be Landon Dickerson of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles' season is virtually over now that they are 2-5 and without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts indefinitely due to a blood clot issue.
The Eagles already traded away guard Cam Jurgens. Could they move on from Dickerson? Even though the three-time Pro Bowler spent most of the season injured, he is still one of the better guards in the game.
Other names the Packers could look at include Ben Bredeson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cesar Ruiz of the New Orleans Saints, and Jackson Powers-Johnson of the Las Vegas Raiders.
They are not in the same tier as Nelson, but if this season has shown anything for the Packers, is that they need reinforcements in the worst way. And these options wouldn't cost that much to acquire. Granted, Nelson didn't cost too much either, but we digress.
The Packers have a path to the playoffs, and their rivals have weaknesses. The Minnesota Vikings have a brutal offense. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions and Bears don't have the greatest defenses, although Chicago should be in a better position now that they acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.
Still, the Packers need to open up their running game to really make winning games easier and to take some pressure off the shoulders of quarterback Jordan Love.
Acquiring a running back would be a splash move for the Packers, but they would be better off bringing in a guard by the trade deadline.
While fans may point the finger at the running backs, Green Bay's interior offensive line is pretty brutal. If this past week showed anything, it's that they missed out on a player who could help them out, and that's Quenton Nelson.
Even Packers' Week 8 win shows they really could have used Quenton Nelson
The Colts told the NFL they were going to enter a fire sale after they fired general manager Chris Ballard. What we didn't know was how quickly that sale would begin. Earlier this week, the first domino fell with Nelson. The Seattle Seahawks won the sweepstakes, and all it cost was a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder.
What makes that sting even worse for fans is that ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Packers were in the running for Nelson, alongside the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears. So, that presumably means that either the Packers weren't willing to offer a similar trade package as the Seahawks, or that interim Colts general manager Ed Dodds preferred to trade Nelson to Seattle to help out his former team.
Regardless, losing out on Nelson is brutal for the Packers. The fact that Green Bay's ground attack could only average 2.5 yards per carry against a team that had allowed an average of 4.4 yards per carry entering Thursday night is a gigantic wake-up call.
They whiffed on the chance to bring in someone who could open up lanes for their running backs. Nelson was able to do that a lot during his time in Indianapolis, and it greatly benefited Jonathan Taylor.
The Packers have tried to improve the play from their guards this season by bringing in Kevin Zeitler, who has shown to be a reliable veteran option for the majority of his career. Yet, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur just won't play him, instead opting to use Aaron Banks and Laken Tomlinson against the Panthers.
Adding another guard should be on the trade deadline to-do list.
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