For all the attention paid to RE Antwan Odoms five-sack afternoon, the QB takedown that sums up the Packers offensive issues was SLB Rey Maualugas against FB Korey Hall.
Maualuga and S Roy Williams crept to the line before the snap, tipping a six-man pressure. The Packers kept eight yes, eight in to block.
Eight-man protection should make a quarterback feel comfortable he can set his feet, go through his reads and try to hit a big play, which is what QB Aaron Rodgers was looking for with WRs Greg Jennings and Donald Driver working downfield.
But Hall barely got a fingertip on Maualuga as the rookie stuttered and then exploded around the offensive left edge. There also was heat up the middle from DT Jonathan Fanene, who got late pressure against LG Daryn Colledge and was at Rodgers feet as Maualuga drilled him in the back.
Breakdowns like that will make any quarterback skittish. It should be no surprise Rodgers sidestepped into a sack on the Packers next possession rather than trusting LT Chad Clifton and C Jason Spitz to keep Odoms long stunt outside.
On 45 true dropbacks Sunday, the Packers utilized six-man protection 21 times (46.7 percent) and seven-man protection nine times (20 percent), not including plays on which tight ends and running backs chipped before going out in pattern. Only nine times was the offensive line left to fend for itself yet Rodgers was sacked six times and hit four others by a Bengals defense that sent 17 blitzes (37.8 percent).
These are compounding issues that cant be solved simply by keeping in extra blockers on every play. If anything, excessive help can become a crutch, allowing players to get away with lousy fundamentals that need to be fixed before this offense can get back on track.