Tucker Kraft didn’t sound interested in putting a ceiling on Lukas Van Ness after the Packers’ Week 2 win over the New York Jets, and it’s not hard to see why.
Van Ness finally looked like the kind of edge rusher Green Bay has been waiting on since making him a top-15 draft pick. The 25-year-old was a force in the win, and his teammates noticed. Kraft, in particular, came away convinced that what Van Ness showed against the Jets was more than just a one-game spike.
That matters because patience has been in short supply around a player who has long been labeled “developmental” and “toolsy.” Van Ness has the frame and traits teams dream about at edge: 6-foot-5, 272 pounds, with the kind of strength and athleticism that can overwhelm blockers when it all comes together. The problem has been that, through three seasons, it mostly hadn’t.
Before this game, Van Ness had never finished a season with more than four sacks. He had held up as a run defender, but he hadn’t consistently looked like the disruptive presence Green Bay expected when it drafted him.
That’s part of why the Packers’ decision to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason caught some people off guard. He hadn’t done enough yet to make a contract call like that feel obvious.
Against the Jets, though, Van Ness put together the best outing of his career. He finished with six pressures, two sacks and seven run stops, all three marks either setting or tying career highs.
And in a game that could have slipped away, those plays loomed large. Without that kind of impact, the Packers likely would have walked out of Week 2 at 0-2, a result that would have sent the fan base into a panic early in the season.
Instead, Van Ness gave Green Bay the version of himself people have been waiting on for more than three years. If Kraft’s read is right, this wasn’t just a breakthrough. It may have been the start of something bigger.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
The pass rush has been one of Green Bays most watched areas early this season, and rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton has started to give the defense a timely boost. Against the Jets, he put together a disruptive afternoon with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, the kind of activity that shows up on the stat sheet and in the pressure Washington? No, in the pressure he helped create on the opposing quarterback.
For a player taken 120th in the draft, that kind of early production is notable, especially when hes already ranking 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after two games. The Packers are always looking for help up front, and Dennis-Sutton has at least opened the door to a bigger role by outplaying several rookies selected ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Secondary Just Lost Its Biggest Safety Net Before Packers Game
The Falcons defense took a significant hit this week when cornerback A.J. Terrell was placed on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury in a recent game. His absence comes with a real timing issue for Atlanta, too, because he now has to sit out at least four games, putting Week 7 as the earliest possible return. For a secondary that leans on him as its top coverage option, the loss changes the look of the group heading into a matchup that already had plenty of attention.
Atlanta filled the open roster spot by promoting defensive lineman Zach Harrison from the practice squad, but that move does not replace what Terrell gives the back end. For the Packers, it is the kind of development that can alter how a defense chooses to play on the perimeter and in the middle of the field, especially against an opponent that no longer has its biggest safety net available. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury has turned a promising early-season stretch into a far more uneasy stretch for the Packers, with the receiver leaving Sundays game against the Jets on a stretcher after a neck injury. Matt LaFleur said Reed is back in Green Bay and going through tests, but the team still does not have a recovery timeline, which leaves Green Bay trying to steady its offense without one of its most dynamic targets.
The immediate concern is Week 3 against the Falcons, where Reed is expected to miss the game and the Packers may have to adjust on the fly. Beyond that, the bigger issue is how long Green Bay could be without him, because this is the kind of injury that can ripple through a passing game well past one Sunday. [Read more 🡒]