The Green Bay Packers offense, once again, is off to a sluggish start. For the fifth straight game, they have failed to score a single point in the first quarter. If they fail to score before halftime of their Week Eight game against the Minnesota Vikings, it will mean that they have not scored in the entire first half for the third time in five games.
A great deal of the reasons for the Packers’ struggles on offense have been placed on the shoulders of Jordan Love. As the new starting quarterback, everything he does or does not do is heavily scrutinized by fans and analysts alike.
The problem is that not all of the Packers’ struggles are his fault. In fact, it could be argued that most of his struggles are the result of the failures of the players around him.
For weeks, left tackle Rasheed Walker has been as inconsistent as they come. After a penalty that wiped out a big first down play and giving up a sack on a play in which he failed to even attempt a block, Walker was benched in favor of Yosh Nijman.
Yosh Nijman Takes Over for Rasheed Walker as Left Tackle of the Green Bay Packers
Nijman, who played right and left tackle for the Packers well over the last few seasons, has mysteriously been held out of the starting lineup for Green Bay. When David Bakhtiari first tore his ACL in 2020, and when Elgton Jenkins tore his ACL in 2021, it was Nijman who stepped in and protected Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. And he did it well.
This season, when Bakhtiari was lost for the year after Week One, it was Walker who was chosen to start in his place. Nijman remained buried on the bench.
In the weeks that have followed, Walker has given up a team-high 13 pressures (going into Week Eight) per PFF. He also gave up a team-high two sacks entering play on Sunday. He was also called for a team-high five penalties.
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