The Packers Just Dodged a Disaster That Could’ve Shattered Their Season — and the Rest of the NFL Felt the Shockwave.QQ

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the high-stakes world of the NFL, where a single snap can swing a season, the Green Bay Packers dodged a bullet on Sunday that could have derailed their playoff aspirations faster than a fumbled handoff. It wasn’t a flashy interception or a game-losing turnover that had Lambeau Field holding its breath. No, it was something far more sinister: an offensive lineman writhing in pain on the turf, the kind of moment that whispers “season over” to every fan in the stands.

Tackle Zach Tom, the unsung hero anchoring the right side of Green Bay’s line, went down in the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers with what looked like a re-aggravation of his nagging oblique injury. Tom had already missed chunks of the 2025 season to that same pesky issue—two full games and most of two others—leaving the Packers’ protection for quarterback Jordan Love as leaky as a screen door in a hurricane. He lay there for what felt like an eternity, trainers hovering like vultures, before being helped off the field. The crowd fell silent. The sideline tensed. And in that frozen instant, the Packers—and perhaps the entire NFC North—stared into the abyss of a catastrophe they never saw barreling down the pike.

But then, like a plot twist in a Hollywood blockbuster, Tom jogged back onto the field after missing just one play. No fanfare, no victory lap—just quiet, gritty resolve. The Packers exhaled collectively, and in the process, they sent a thunderous message to the rest of the league: Green Bay isn’t just surviving the injury bug; they’re weaponizing it.

The Scare That Stopped Hearts

Week 8 had already been a gauntlet of injury roulette for the Packers. Kicker Brandon McManus was scratching his way back after a two-week quad absence, his leg still as rusty as an old bike chain. Star receiver Christian Watson, sidelined since January’s ACL tear, was finally making his 2025 debut—a feel-good story if there ever was one. And rookie phenom Matthew Golden was gutting it out through a hip pointer that had him limping pre-game. The offensive line, a revolving door of bandages and backups, was holding together with duct tape and sheer willpower.

Enter Tom, the 24-year-old former Wake Forest standout who’s been the steady eddy in this storm. When he crumpled against the Steelers, it wasn’t just a player down—it was the Packers’ entire pass-protection scheme teetering on the edge. Pittsburgh’s defense, led by terror incarnate T.J. Watt, smelled blood. Watt had already notched 6.5 sacks entering the game, and without Tom, Love’s pocket could have turned into a blender faster than you can say “blitz package.”

The numbers don’t lie, and they scream Tom’s indispensability. As NFL writer Doug Farrar highlighted this week, the Packers’ metrics crater without him. Pressure rate on Love skyrockets from a manageable 22.4% with Tom to a nightmarish 40.4% without him. Sack percentage? It balloons from 2.4% to 7.0%. In a league where quarterbacks like Love are one blindside hit away from the injured reserve, losing Tom again would have been like handing the Steelers a cheat code.

Yet, there he was, back in the fray, stonewalling Watt and his crew. Pittsburgh finished the night sack-free—the first time all season they’d been shut out in that category, and only the second such occurrence in the last two years. Thanks in large part to Tom, the Packers’ line held firm, allowing Love to dissect the Steelers for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a gritty 24-20 win. It wasn’t pretty, but in the NFL, pretty doesn’t win divisions.

Tom’s individual dominance is no fluke, either. Despite nursing that oblique like a bad hangover, he’s posted an elite 80.9 Pro Football Focus grade this season—sixth-best among all tackles league-wide. He’s a human bulldozer, pancaking edge rushers and sealing lanes with the precision of a surgeon. In a unit plagued by injuries and schematic shifts under new line coach Adam Beyer, Tom isn’t just a bandage; he’s the tourniquet.

A Sigh of Relief, But Shadows Linger

The Tom scare was the headline-grabber, but it wasn’t the only injury ripple from Week 8. Special-teamer Nick Niemann, the plucky waiver-wire pickup from the Texans who’s been a coverage demon on punts and kicks, suffered a pectoral tear early in the game. Ruled out on the spot, Niemann’s injury has the Packers’ medical staff in “wait-and-see” mode, but the prognosis isn’t glowing.

“We’re concerned about it,” head coach Matt LaFleur admitted Monday, his voice carrying the weight of a coach who’s seen too many seasons hijacked by soft-tissue gremlins. “We don’t know the full extent yet, but it’s not ideal this late in the year.” A full pec tear could sideline Niemann for the stretch run, robbing Green Bay of a special teams spark plug who’s already logged 200+ snaps without a blemish.

Still, in the grand scheme, it’s a flesh wound compared to what could have been with Tom. The Packers entered the weekend 5-2, clinging to first place in the NFC North amid a brutal schedule that still includes dates with the Lions, Vikings, and Bears—not to mention potential playoff rematches with the Eagles or 49ers. Losing Tom for good would have exposed Love to the wolves, turning a contender into a pretender overnight.

Notice Served: Packers Are Built for the Grind

What Sunday’s near-miss underscored—and what the entire NFL should scribble in their scouting reports—is that these Packers aren’t fragile. They’re forged in the fire of adversity, a young, hungry squad that’s turning lemons into Lombardi-level lemonade. Love’s poise under fire? Unshakable. The run game’s resurgence behind Josh Jacobs? Grinding. And now, with Watson’s return adding vertical juice to an already explosive attack, Green Bay’s ceiling just rocketed higher.

The league’s heavy hitters—Detroit’s fireworks, Minnesota’s wizardry, even the NFC’s southern pretenders—better take note. The Packers just stared down a catastrophe, blinked, and came back swinging. Zach Tom’s return wasn’t luck; it was a statement. Green Bay isn’t dodging bullets anymore—they’re reloading.

As LaFleur put it post-game, with a grin that masked the relief: “We’ve been through the wringer this year, but that’s what makes us us. We’re not backing down.” The NFC North quakes. The playoffs beckon. And the NFL? It’s officially on notice: The Packers are coming, and hell’s coming with them.