Rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton may not have grabbed the loudest headlines in the Packers’ win over the New York Jets, but he kept showing up in ways that mattered.
The numbers were tidy enough: six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits. The bigger story was everything those stats left out. Dennis-Sutton kept pressing Geno Smith, helped force the Jets into uncomfortable spots and gave Green Bay another disruptive presence in a pass rush that needed it.
That kind of workload matters even more with Micah Parsons out. The Packers need Lukas Van Ness to keep wrecking games, and they need Dennis-Sutton to keep bringing heat in a rotation that also includes Barryn Sorrell and Brenton Cox Jr.
For a rookie, that’s a lot to carry. So far, he looks ready for it.
Against the Jets, he made the most of just 30 defensive snaps and did damage early. Late in the first quarter, his pressure on a third down helped create a Van Ness sack and pushed New York into a punt from deep in its own territory. Early in the third quarter, Dennis-Sutton got after Smith again, and the result was another incompletion and another punt.
He finished with a bigger flash in overtime, teaming with Van Ness on a second-down half-sack that buried the Jets behind the chains. Then came a third-and-30 play that won’t make the highlight reel but said plenty about his motor: after a dump-off to rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, Dennis-Sutton chased him down from behind and stopped him well short of the marker.
After two games, there’s already a strong statistical case for what the tape shows. Sumer Sports had Dennis-Sutton ranked 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate after Sunday. For a player taken 120th overall, that’s a serious return.
He also finished ahead of fellow rookies David Bailey, Reuben Bain and Akheem Mesidor in that category, with Bailey going second overall to the Jets, Bain 15th to the Buccaneers and Mesidor 22nd to the Chargers.
The bottom line is simple: Dennis-Sutton keeps looking less like a pleasant surprise and more like a real draft steal. And the best part is, you don’t need a chart to see it. Just watch him play.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Huge NFC North Opening Before Chicago
The Packers took care of the Jets and now move into a stretch that could shape the early NFC North race, with games against the Falcons and Buccaneers on deck before the divisional calendar starts to tighten. Green Bay has reason to feel encouraged after the win, but the bigger picture in the division is still unsettled, with injuries complicating the outlook for the Packers, Bears, Vikings and Lions alike.
Chicago looms as the next major checkpoint, and the matchup carries extra weight because the division has not yet sorted itself out. Green Bay does not need the standings to tell it what is at stake here: an opportunity to gain ground before the Bears game can turn a good early run into real leverage in a race that already feels wide open. [Read more 🡒]