There were two facts about the Green Bay Packers' preseason that you might find startling.
For starters, an offensive line that has prided itself on protecting Brett Favre for so many years didn't do a very good job with Favre's replacements in the preseason. Aaron Rodgers, Brian Brohm, and Matt Flynn were sacked a combined 16 times in four games, the most sacks allowed by any team in the preseason.
Meanwhile, the Packers defensive line struggled to generate much of any push against their opponents. The defense picked up just two sacks, which ranked last in the NFL.
Yes, it's just preseason, but the Packers clearly have a little bit of work to do in the trenches.
Luckily for them, so does Minnesota.
Minnesota got some good play from the pass rush in the preseason, with 11 sacks in four games. Not bad. However, the offensive line struggled at times, and now they have to deal with a huge suspension.
Left tackle Bryant McKinnie is a mauling run-blocking machine. Along with Steve Hutchinson, he's a big part of one of the more physical lines in the NFL. Sucks for the Vikings that McKinnie is suspended for the first four games of the season after allegedly being involved in a fight with a Miami-area nightclub bouncer. That leaves something called Artis Hicks out at left tackle for Minnesota, and they have a pretty formidable schedule of pass-rushers to deal with in the first four weeks.
The first test for Hicks to deal with is Aaron Kampman, the Packers All-Pro end. He had a great season last year, and the expectation is that Hicks will need help to block him in the opener Monday night. Kampman is one of those "non-stop motor" guys, and Hicks will have his hands full all night if he has to block Kampman one-on-one. I would expect the Vikings to give Hicks some help, which will put a lot of pressure on guys like Cullen Jenkins, Ryan Pickett, and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. If the Packers can get pressure with that front four, it's only going to create more chances for coordinator Bob Sanders to take chances and get creative with his play-calling.
The Packers have an even bigger test on their offensive line. Protection simply hasn't been very good during the summer, and the Vikings may have the NFL's best defensive line. Left tackle Chad Clifton handled the newest Viking, end Jared Allen, quite nicely last season in Kansas City. Allen figures to be quite a bit fired up for his first game as a Viking, so it could be a long night for Clifton.
Of course, you also have Green Bay's guards, who were generally terrible in the preseason. Now they have to deal with the unrelated Williams boys, Kevin and Pat. The mammoth defensive tackles were neutralized in the teams' meeting last year at Lambeau Field. Green Bay was able to get running back Ryan Grant to the outside a lot in that game, and he was the first back to top 100 yards against the Vikings in 2007. That will likely be a huge part of the Packers' game plan Monday, because it is a good way to wear down the big tackles, and it also tests the discipline of the ends. If they are pushing upfield too much, it will allow Grant to break containment.
Generally speaking, both teams have reasons to worry about the battle in the trenches. The Vikings have a backup starting at the most important position on the offensive line, and they were beaten badly in the trenches the last time they played Green Bay. The Packers, meanwhile, have major question marks along the offensive line entering the opener, with no real answer for how they'll protect Rodgers in the first game that counts.
Also worth noting is the fact that Green Bay has not faced Tarvaris Jackson since 2006. He was injured and missed both meetings last year, with Kelly Holcomb starting at the Metrodome and Brooks Bollinger at Lambeau. Jackson's first career start came against the Packers, and it was a 9-7 loss that ruined what was left of Minnesota's playoff hopes in coach Brad Childress' rookie season.
