Sunday afternoon in Denver was a brutal day for everybody associated with the Green Bay Packers. It was especially tough for Micah Parsons, Christian Watson, Evan Williams, Zach Tom, and Rasheed Walker – the first four due to injuries and the latter for a very poor performance on the field.
Green Bay’s offensive line has undergone a few different lineup permutations throughout the season due to injury and ineffectiveness. Still, the group has played fairly well over the last few weeks with the addition of Sean Rhyan at center and Anthony Belton at guard. But, as they say, you’re only as good as your weakest link, and Sunday showed that Walker is indeed the Packers’ weakest link.
Several times on Sunday afternoon, Walker was responsible for the stalling or backfiring of a Packers drive. He was flagged four times (more than the rest of the offensive line combined), and each time it caused the Packers to lose valuable momentum. Two penalties directly resulted in points being taken off the board for Green Bay.
A false start penalty led to a failed conversion, and the Packers had to settle for a field goal. A holding call near the goal line also took valuable points off the board. An ineligible man downfield penalty completely killed another promising drive. Finally, a false start left the Packers with second-and-long on a drive that would end with a Jordan Love sack.
Walker bailed out a stout Broncos defense by taking points and momentum away from Green Bay. Momentum is the NFL’s most fickle currency, and in big-time matchups like Sunday’s, having four inexcusable penalties against your left tackle is a killer. If you trade those two field goals for touchdowns, Sunday’s outcome is likely a lot different.
While Walker has been a decent pass blocker since taking over the starting job in 2023, his run blocking is subpar. Since 2023, his overall PFF run-blocking grade has declined from the 30th percentile to the 15th percentile in 2024, with a 54 overall grade, and he hasn’t shown any improvement in 2025, sitting at a 57.1 run-block grade.
As a former seventh-round pick, one might expect parts of his game to take time to develop. Still, he’s had almost three full seasons as a starter, and it doesn’t appear that his run blocking is going to improve past what we have seen. That’s a problem. The Packers have struggled to run the ball consistently, and they have a head coach and play caller who clearly want to, with 46% of offensive snaps being run plays.
The rest of the line has had issues, but most have improved their play as the season has progressed. Aaron Banks, one of the team’s prized offseason acquisitions, had an awful start to his career in Green Bay — so much so that fans were calling for him to be cut after one season.
Since Week 11 against the New York Giants, Banks has posted his best results of the season over the last few games. Among all guards with 50% or more snaps played, Banks ranks 15th overall over the last four-game stretch. If you take out the Philadelphia Eagles game, he would be ranked in the top 10. You want your players to be at their best at this time of the year, and Banks has done that.
The same can be said for Rhyan and Belton. The offensive line’s overall performance has improved since Rhyan assumed the starting center duties once Elgton Jenkins was lost for the season with an ankle injury against the Eagles, and the Packers used Belton as the starting right guard a few weeks later against the Minnesota Vikings.
Rhyan and Belton have been a pleasant surprise, and the Packers went on a four-game winning streak once both were entrenched at their new spots. Just ask former offensive line coach turned offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.
“I’m encouraged by what’s happening right now with our center and guard situations,” he said when asked about Rhyan and Belton’s play last week, “It’s been good.”
Right tackle Zach Tom has been Mr. Consistency this season, which is nothing new. His 83.8-overall grade ranks eighth among all tackles. Recently, the issue lies with Walker, and one of the most baffling decisions this team has made in 2025 is not letting Jordan Morgan take a stab at the left tackle job. Instead, Green Bay let Walker get all the snaps.
Morgan is the team’s future at left tackle because the Packers will likely let Walker depart in free agency, as they should. At left tackle in college, Morgan posted an 87.3 grade in his senior season. In the 2025 preseason with Green Bay, he posted a 91.3 PFF grade. The Packers are doing themselves a disservice by not letting Morgan play his natural position and instead banking on Walker to improve.
With the loss of Micah Parsons, the offense is going to have to shoulder more of the load if they are going to finish the job and make a deep playoff run. There’s far less room for error, and there is no room for ruined drives or mental mistakes.
Green Bay’s offensive line will have to play a major role, and it will be only as good as its weakest link. It’s about time to replace that link and keep the line as strong as possible, because the Packers are going to need all the help they can get.
