Heading into the 2014 season, Mike McCarthy, a coach rarely prone to grandiose declarations, described his offensive line as potentially the best of his nine-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers.
At the time, such a prediction seemed mighty optimistic considering the team was breaking in a new starter at center, expecting a huge second-year jump from it's blindside protector, and depending on a healthy return for a tackle that hadn't played a meaningful snap in roughly 20 months. While it was conceivable for any one of those situations to pan out, to anticipate success for all three was a big ask.
And Green Bay quickly learned it had no margin for error. Utility lineman Don Barclay, a starter at right tackle a season earlier, tore his ACL during a training camp. Just a few weeks later, new starting center JC Tretter seriously injured his knee, landing him on short-term IR. Consequently, the offense would have to make do with rookie snapping the ball and no proven reserves at any spot along the offensive line. Not the best recipe for proving McCarthy's proclamation correct.
And yet three quarters into the season, the line has seemed to live up to the hype.
Outside of Bryan Bulaga missing Week 2 with a knee sprain, the Packers' preferred starters have played in every game, including the last 10 straight. Rookie Corey Linsley performed so well in Tretter's absence that he won the job away from him. The guards have dominated their competition despite Josh Sitton tearing a ligament in his big toe and T.J. Lang badly spraining an ankle. Even David Bakhtiari has raised the bar. Though he can still be pushed back in the run game at times, his improvement as a pass protector is evident. The group has coalesced into the type of offensive line McCarthy imagined.
And the numbers bear it out too. Green Bay has yielded the second fewest total pressures (81) as measured by Pro Football Focus. For comparison, the league average through 13 weeks is 122.1. Aaron Rodgers is on pace to be sacked just 33 times. If that holds, it would be the fewest he's taken in a full season. The improved pass protection allows Rodgers to work the pocket longer, creating more big play opportunities for the offense.
The line has also performed capably in the run game despite a poor start to the season. The Packers 4.2 yards per attempt currently ranks 14th in the NFL. While that represents a dip from last year's 4.7, the unit has nearly matched it over the last three games, averaging 4.6 during that stretch.
Considered as a whole, this Packers' offensive line grades out as the best of the Rodgers era and a strong case can be made that it is indeed the strongest since McCarthy's arrival. Though the group is still perilously thin after the starters, Green Bay seems to have righted the injury issues that dominated their narrative of the past few seasons. Few teams have received consistently better play in the trenches this year, a key factor in the Packers' NFC best 9-3 record. It's hard to envision the team's success in 2014 without the line's improvement. However, it's less difficult to see Green Bay winning its 14th championship because of it.