Dan Orlovsky did not mince words after watching Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love take a beating in the season opener.
The ESPN analyst looked at the Packers’ offensive line and issued a blunt assessment that should land like a warning shot inside the organization.
“This offensive line, if they don’t get better, [Jordan Love] won’t survive,” Orlovsky said bluntly.
That line came after Love absorbed hit after hit in a 39-22 loss at Minnesota, a game the Packers led 22-10 late in the third quarter before everything crumbled.
Love still put up big numbers. He completed 21 of 42 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when the Vikings turned up the heat.
The protection around him never looked stable. Love was officially hit 15 times. He was sacked four times. Pressure arrived on roughly half his dropbacks.
Minnesota blitzed on more than 78 percent of those dropbacks, one of the highest rates recorded against any quarterback in years. Edge rusher Dallas Turner alone accounted for seven of the hits.
Green Bay entered the game with questions up front. Left guard Aaron Banks sat out with a knee injury. Donovan Jennings made his first career start in his place. Jacob Monk started at the other guard spot for just the second time. Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele was still working back from a knee injury suffered in camp.
The group never found a rhythm against Brian Flores’ disguised pressures. Blocks broke down. Stunts went unaccounted for. Free rushers arrived from the blind side.
Coach Matt LaFleur sounded frustrated the next day.
“What’s disappointing is we had a few protection busts that absolutely should not and cannot happen,” he said.
He also stressed the need to settle the starting five quickly so the unit can develop some chemistry.
“Whatever we do, we need to make sure that we find continuity as quickly as possible,” LaFleur said.
Love tried to keep the offense moving even when the pocket collapsed. He found Christian Watson for an 81-yard touchdown early and another score just before halftime. Those plays kept Green Bay in front.
The fourth quarter was a different story. Consecutive sacks produced a fumble that Minnesota recovered at the one-yard line. A short touchdown followed. An interception under pressure came soon after. The Vikings scored 29 unanswered points.
“You look at that fourth quarter, they got the momentum, and they started rolling, and that’s where we kind of fell apart,” Love said.
Orlovsky pointed to more than just the late collapse. He said the line looked overwhelmed on early downs when Green Bay tried to run the ball and failed to sustain blocks. That led to obvious passing situations and even more pressure.
Love has already dealt with injuries in recent seasons, including a concussion last year that cost him time. Another year of taking this kind of punishment raises the risk of something more serious.
The Packers host the New York Jets in Week 2. That game will show whether the line can tighten up quickly. If the same problems persist, the warning from Orlovsky will only grow louder.
Green Bay has invested heavily in Love as the franchise quarterback. Keeping him healthy now depends on the five men in front of him getting a lot better, and doing it fast.
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