Packers’ New Left Side Was All Right vs. 49ers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – In a perfect world, the Green Bay Packers would have All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins as the formidable left side of their offensive line.
With Bakhtiari recovering from last year’s ACL tear, they started the season with Jenkins at left tackle and Lucas Patrick at left guard for Week 1 against New Orleans.
With Patrick suffering a concussion on the final offensive snap against the Saints, the Packers lined up with Jenkins at left tackle and Jon Runyan Jr. at left guard for Week 2 against Detroit.
With Jenkins sustaining an ankle injury against the Lions, the Packers went to Plan D for Sunday night’s showdown at San Francisco. At left tackle, it was Yosh Nijman making his first NFL start. At left guard, it was Runyan making his second start.
With Jenkins still out with the ankle and Runyan having turned in consecutive strong starts, they could be the left-side duo for Sunday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was offensive line coach Adam Stenavich who made the decision to go with Nijman, whose previous experience consisted of 14 garbage-time snaps last season – including eight quarterback kneel-downs – but three strong preseason starts this year.
The decision caught quarterback Aaron Rodgers off-guard but Stenavich’s explanation quickly won him over.
“Once he saw that I was pretty convicted about my decision, I think it made him feel better,” Stenavich said after Wednesday’s practice. “I know everyone saw Yosh this preseason and we really put him out there to see if he could handle this, and what he showed out there is he played really well, that he was a guy we could count on. When that happened, when Elgton went down, my gut told me this is the right decision and coach (Matt) LaFleur supported it. Once I explained it to (Rodgers), he was good to go. It was great that Yosh was able to show everyone that he belongs.”
Nijman turned in a strong performance facing Nick Bosa, one of the best edge defenders in the NFL. Bosa dominated the opening series but Nijman settled in and helped power a 30-point performance against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
What did Stenavich tell him on the sideline to overcome those early jitters?
“I don’t know if anyone really saw, it was David,” Stenavich said. “David was there with him, like sitting next to him on the bench, talking things over with him and did a really good job just keeping his head in the game and getting him not to panic or anything. Yosh had a great look in his eye before the game, and I knew he was feeling pretty good, like ready to go. But I think David did a really good job. I’m coaching everyone up, and he making sure Yosh was good to go, one-on-one, so that was pretty cool to see.”
Meanwhile, in a surprise, Runyan figures to make a third consecutive start against the Steelers. Patrick, who had a strong 2020 as the team’s right guard, beat out Runyan for the starting job in training camp. But Patrick’s concussion re-opened the door for Runyan as the team continues its commitment toward developing its young blockers.
“Sometimes you write guys off and you don’t think they can play [based on the preseason], and then they get in the regular season and they play really well. Jon Runyan is one of those guys,” Rodgers said. “When you look at some of the preseason film and you’re wondering how he’s going to do, and he’s played really good the last couple weeks. There’s a lot to be said for a person’s ability in the moment to rise to the necessary level to compete at a high level.”
A sixth-round pick last year, Runyan saw significant action in four games as a rookie – including a combined 131 snaps in Game 8 at San Francisco, Game 10 at Indianapolis and Game 11 vs. Chicago. He played well enough to spend all summer in the mix for a starting job. That went to Patrick, but not for long.
The 49ers game was a big test, and this won’t be any easier. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and outside linebacker T.J. Watt are among the best in the business.
“I think Runyan just needed more reps,” Stenavich said. “If you think about when he was a rookie, we didn’t have preseason. So, he wasn’t out there, he was just taking practice reps and he got thrown in a couple of games and did a good job, too. He stepped up when we needed him. But he’s got a long way to go and there’s a lot of really good competition in the O-line room, so it’s kind of a week-to-week deal with all these guys, which is nice. We’ve got some guys behind him that are ready to play.”
