Packers suddenly have the chance to exploit what the Lions expected to be a strength heading into their Thanksgiving showdown
Lions have had significant offensive line issues throughout the season, and the Packers can take advantage of that on Thursday.
The offensive line has been a real weapon for the Detroit Lions throughout Dan Campbell’s tenure. This year, though, the conversation is a little bit different. Especially on the interior, injuries and personnel issues arose, and that’s ultimately why the offense hasn’t been as dominant as it had in years past — and why Campbell had to take over play-calling responsibilities from new offensive coordinator John Morton in his first season replacing Ben Johnson.
And that can turn into a big matchup advantage for the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving — especially if Devonte Wyatt keeps it up after having a two-sack game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Why the interior has been so questionable
Compared to last year, the Lions’ offensive line lost two impactful pieces. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow retired from football, while veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
So this year, Detroit had to move Graham Glasgow from left guard to center. In addition to those losses, though, new starting left guard Christian Mahogany is out for the season with a broken bone in his knee.
At this point, the ideal starting line has former undrafted Kayode Awosika, a swing interior offensive lineman, at left guard, Glasgow at center, and rookie second-rounder Tate Ratledge at right guard.
If you think the Packers have offensive line issues, those three starting players have been worse at pass-blocking than Elgton Jenkins, Aaron Banks, and Jordan Morgan, according to PFF.
Lions’ IOL PFF pass-blocking grades
- Graham Glasgow 59.8
- Kayode Awosika 46.9
- Tate Ratledge 46.8
Now, to make things worse for Detroit, the offensive line is banged up. Graham Glasgow did not practice on Monday with a knee injury, and if he can’t play, the options would be Michael Niese and Trystan Colon, two former undrafted players who have combined for 23 snaps at center this season.
Moreover, Ratledge (knee) and both tackles, Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Penei Sewell (ankle) were also limited at practice. They should play, but it’s hard to project them being 100 percent physically.
Disruptive interior
To attack the Lions’ interior, the Packers have had a lot of success rushing from inside. Karl Brooks and Devonte Wyatt have combined for 42 pressures, with Warren Brinson, Colby Wooden, and Nazir Stackhouse adding 16 more.
The Packers have done it in two different ways. The first and more natural is with disruptive interior defensive linemen in Wyatt and Brooks. The former first-rounder, by the way, had four pressures in Week 1 against the Lions and generated two sacks last Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
The other way is by moving edge defenders inside. Frequently, Micah Parsons stays right behind the 1-tech lineman to create confusion for the opposing interior. Lukas Van Ness is just returning from injury, but he has the ability to play inside as well. Jeff Hafley also likes to send his off-ball linebackers into pressure, especially second-year defender Edgerrin Cooper.
Despite all the challenges, the Lions still have a strong offense. But creating pressure from inside is the perfect way to limit quarterback Jared Goff, and the Packers are in a unique position to make it happen on Thursday.