Here’s What Scout Saw When Watching Packers-Falcons (With Reason for Optimism)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A scout for a late-season opponent of the Green Bay Packers watched the debacle against the Falcons live on television before digging into the film.

What did he see from Packers quarterback Jordan Love on those times he wasn’t being knocked to the turf by unblocked defenders? His answer got right to the crux of the team’s problems on offense.

“It’s a little bit of everything, right?” he told Packers On SI on Tuesday. “When your running back who’s exceptional is gone at the drop of a hat, that’s not going to help your quarterback.

“I think at quarterback, you kind of just isolate it and say, like, ‘How’s he doing?’ Well, how’s the family doing around him? And so when the O-line is struggling and getting shuffled around in terms of continuity, and you take one of the best, most physical, tough, bruising running backs away from them, well, you’re kind of kicking out his legs a little bit.”

No part of the Packers family has been more down and out than the offensive line. They have cycled through six combinations in three games. The young guards were overwhelmed, necessitating the additions of Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton and the now the signing of Kevin Zeitler.

The scout talked before the Zeitler news broke, but can Tomlinson and Becton help?

“Can they help? You know … I guess maybe,” he said.

It was about as tepid of an endorsement as you could imagine, but then he switched gears a bit by leaning into the experience factor. Tomlinson has started 162 games and Becton has started 59. That’s 221 combined starts whereas Jacob Monk and Jager Burton had started three before Thursday. Swap out Becton with Zeitler, and that increases to a staggering 375.

“I would say that they upgraded Jager, for sure, because Jager’s a rookie, and it’s a lot on a rookie to handle defensive linemen and things you’re going to see,” the scout said. “Laken can at least bring some intelligence for some things that they’ve been getting beat on – like some games that Jager has never seen, defensive line stunts – where Laken has seen it all. So, it’s a positive from an intelligence standpoint. He’s definitely on the latter side of his athleticism.

“And then in terms of Mekhi, he’s ultratalented but just never been able to be as consistent as you want him. And that’s why he’s available.”

Offensive Line Is (Was?) Biggest Problem

Statistically, the Packers have the worst offensive line in the NFL. No line has given up more pressures or quarterback hits and no team is averaging fewer yards per carry. It was a bloodbath on Thursday, with Love absorbing more hits from the Falcons than the running backs got carries.

When I started watching the game again on Friday, I wondered how many of Green Bay’s starting linemen against Atlanta would start for any other team.

I asked the scout that question. With a focus on left tackle Jordan Morgan and right tackle Anthony Belton, he said:

“Would they start anywhere? I mean, they’re not the worst. Morgan might be a low-end starter-level player because he’s a good athlete. He can pass protect. He’s just not strong and powerful. So, he’s the better of the two.

“And then at right tackle, he’s probably more of a backup-level player, but he is talented. I understand why they want to work with him because he’s got feet, but he’s just not as powerful as you would like. And that’s where he struggles. But it wouldn’t surprise me if a year from now he’s the better player. He’s got the raw ability that we look for, but he just needs to get stronger and really more experienced to play a little tougher.”

It’s not as if the Packers haven’t invested on the line. While Aaron Banks’ injury problems have led to a merry-go-round at left guard and they’ve gone young at right guard, Morgan is a first-round pick, Belton is a second-round pick and center Sean Rhyan is a third-round pick with a contract extension.

Did the Packers pick bad players or have those players received bad coaching?

“They have a type that they look for,” the scout replied. “It’s usually more athlete, pass protectors, good feet, more so than powerful, nasty, tough. Morgan, he fits that. Like, he’s a good athlete, he’s got good feet, but if you’re going down a dark alley, you’re not necessarily taking Jordan Morgan for toughness. But, if you’re playing basketball, I think he’s got good feet and can play on the wing.

“I respect the coaching that they have. So, I’m not going to say he’s not getting coached well – I know he is. It’s just hard to find the elite that have both, that have great physical power and great pass protectors. So, ultimately, you want the guy who can keep up your $100 million quarterback on his feet, and that’s what he does best. I’m sure they would say maybe he’s not as developed as they would like when you take him in the first round, though.”

Love is off to a terrible start statistically. Based on traditional stats, he is last in the NFL in completion percentage. Based on new-school stats, he is 22nd out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per dropback, according to Next Gen Stats

The scout chalked up Love’s problems to the surrounding problems.

“He’s still very talented and, at the drop of a dime, he can beat you on all three levels – down the field vertically, immediate, quick hit,” he said. “The support around a quarterback means so much and he just doesn’t have that support. And it’s just hard to get in a rhythm when you’re not running the ball effectively. So now, it’s what we call obvious passing, right? So, you’re passing and we know you’re passing and it just makes you easier to defend.”

What About the Defense?

Defensively, he likes Jonathan Gannon’s unit. The Packers gave up 194 rushing yards to Bijan Robinson, though the scout attributed that more to Robinson than anything wrong with the defense.

“Bijan, he’s unguardable. That’s a fact, no matter who you are,” he said. “And they lost the linebacker, (Edgerrin) Cooper. I would say that was more of a Bijan issue than a Packers issue because Bijan is just really special. He’s really special. I’ve been scouting for a while and he’s probably the most talented. Maybe Saquan (Barkley)? He’s just so gifted.”

The scout saw the same thing I did at times, with the Packers seemingly having a run play perfectly defended, only for Robinson to slow down or speed up or make a move to get into the open field.

Not every back can do that, meaning Green Bay’s run defense probably will be fine in the long run.

“Yeah, he’s a special athlete,” he said. “He’s one of those guys where you do everything right and he still beats you. It’s one of those ‘I’m better than you’ type of situations.”

Better Days Ahead?

Overall, he likes the talent.

“The Packers have a really good secondary. I love the safeties. They’re both intelligent and smart. Cooper’s fast and explosive and he rushes the passer, he gets sacks. I’m sure maybe they would like more pass rush from the front four. I think if there’s an area where maybe they’re like, ‘Hey, we need to be better,’ that’s probably it. (Lukas) Van Ness, I think this is his best season.”

The Packers are 1-2. A preseason championship contender, they are now considered one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Don’t count them out, the scout said.

“Just like we talked about with the running back, you have the most dynamic pass rusher in the league not playing right now,” he said of Micah Parsons. “The league is unforgiving because when you lose, you lose. But if you take off the best pass rusher and one of the best running backs on any team, it’s hard to win games. …

“Make no mistake, they’re still a team that can win any game. And early in the season, honestly, every team is still trying to figure out how do we win? How do we play best? So, I think they deserve a little bit of time to figure it out because they generally figure it out.”

The Packers have signed Kevin Zeitler, a high-level starting guard who will be an infinite upgrade.

You can probably guess what we came up with when grading the transaction. ⬇️https://t.co/IwBF0ThWQI
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 30, 2026

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