Well, it looks like 2020 wanted to go out with a bang, kicking the Green Bay Packers straight to the seeds.
There is never a good time for an injury at the end of the season for anyone on your team, let alone a professional. But the Packers are trying to catch the 1-seed in Week 17 and have to play the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Words simply won’t do justice to help describe what David Bakhtiari’s absence means to the Packers the rest of the way. Aaron Rodgers literally never has to worry about falling blindly because No. 69 is holding things on that side of the line. He is an All-Pro four times who is constantly in the discussion to see the best striker in the game; not just the best equipment.
PFF also ranked him as the second best NFL tackle this season. The guy is a tank and is so reliable and intricate in how this Packers offense works. It cannot be said enough how big this loss is.
Now, before panic sets in and fans of green and gold want to see this as a backdrop of falling sky, the Packers have played three games without Bakhtiari this season. In those games, Green Bay went 2-1 and accumulated 91 points in total in those three games combined against the Houston Texans, the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers.
It is a massive loss, there is no soul in the world to question that. But it is still very viable for Green Bay and the “that” I mean is to hoist the Lombardi Trophy when this season is over and done.
They lost Davante Adams by three games this year. Aaron Jones also lost three. Bakhtiari had lost the three mentioned before this injury today. We go to our grave saying, “As long as No. 12 is healthy and below the center, the Packers have a chance.”
Perhaps the saving grace in all of this was Corey Linsley’s return last week. The Packers missing him and Bakhtiari at the same time may have been devastating. Linsley came back last week, but now No. 69 is gone. I don’t know how the Packers combine and combine this, but it helps immensely to have a versatile striker like Elgton Jenkins, who literally played snaps in all positions on the offensive line. If I had to guess, I would say that the Packers do this from left to right on the line:
Elgton Jenkins – Lucas Patrick – Corey Linsley – Billy Turner – Rick Wagner
In this scenario, Jenkins slides from the left guard to the left tackle, and Patrick positions himself on the left guard, a place with which he is familiar and comfortable. Linsley to the right of the line remains the same. This is a way that the Packers could use. We’ll see on Sunday.
There is no sugar coating, this is a huge blow, especially at this time of year for Green Bay. After the initial shock, they have no choice but to settle in and maintain the good vibes. It sucks for Bakhtiari, but the show goes on. And again, fans of the Packers nation, take a deep breath, the ultimate goal of winning the whole thing is still possible.