The Green Bay Packers offensive line lost its best player in the second quarter and eventually crumbled under the pressure of facing one of the NFL’s most disruptive defensive fronts during a loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
While the injuries suffered by Micah Parsons and Christian Watson stole the spotlight, the loss of right tackle Zach Tom to a knee injury in the second quarter was an equally devastating moment. Without him, the offensive line couldn’t hold up down the stretch and the passing game flatlined.
According to Pro Football Focus, Love was under pressure on a season-high 27 dropbacks and 58.7 percent of his dropbacks overall.
Next Gen Stats had Love under pressure on 52.2 percent of his dropbacks, a career high.
While Love successfully navigated the pressure in the first half, when he completed 17 of 21 passes overall for 215 yards overall, the wheels came off in the second half. Per Next Gen Stats, Love completed only 2 of 8 passes for 28 yards and two interceptions while under pressure in the second half.
PFF’s final pressure numbers for Love: 10 of 21 passing for 152 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, three sacks taken, three throwaways and three scrambles. His passer rating under pressure was 32.3.
On his game-changing interception thrown to Pat Surtain II, Love had to evade immediate pressure allowed by right guard Anthony Belton and then got hit as he threw downfield in a cluttered pocket.
On his second interception, Love had a pass-rusher directly in his face as he threw. The throw ended up just slightly behind Dontayvion Wicks and the Broncos picked off the deflection.
On 4th-and-10 late in the fourth quarter, at least two different blockers got beat and Love was swallowed up by multiple defenders for a sack.
On 4th-and-15, a rusher shook free after Love had to step up in the pocket and rushed the throw, which ended up nowhere near being completed past the sticks.
No quarterback is going to successfully operate under the amount of pressure Love faced on Sunday. In an important test against an elite defensive front, the Packers offensive line couldn’t survive the loss of Tom and crumbled under pressure. The result was a passing game that got next to nothing done in the second half and a game the Packers had under control getting away.
It’s unclear when Tom will return from the injury. Early reports suggest there is no significant damage to the knee, but more won’t be known until Tuesday. The Packers play the Chicago Bears on Saturday in a crucial NFC North battle.