Sunday’s overtime win at Lambeau Field marked another big step for Green Bay Packers left tackle, David Bakhtiari, who handled 70 of 73 offensive snaps and missed only one of the team’s 14 offensive possessions on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
Bakhtiari and backup Yosh Nijman rotated in and out of the game last week in Tampa, but with Nijman battling an illness and Bakhtiari in a better physical position, the Packers rolled with the five-time All-Pro for 96 percent of the snaps during the overtime win over the Patriots.
The step up was a big one for Bakhtiari, who played 35 snaps in his return to the field against the Bucs last week. He doubled his snaps against the Patriots and played an extra two series thanks to the game going into overtime.
It’s certainly possible that Bakhtiari will be a full-time player at left tackle with no need to rotate out of the game as soon as this coming week against the New York Giants.
Nijman, who started the first two games at left tackle, played three snaps on offense and another five on special teams.
Expect the Packers to continue limiting Bakhtiari’s practice time, especially this week as the team prepares for an international flight to London.