The Jets are getting another favorable turn before Week 2, and it comes with Green Bay’s front looking thinner by the hour.
Javon Hargrave has been ruled out for the Packers’ game against New York after dealing with both concussion protocol and a knee issue. The announcement adds to a rough injury stretch for the 0-1 Packers, who are already set to play without running back Josh Jacobs and edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Javon Hargrave has been downgraded to OUT for tomorrow’s game against the New York Jets
- Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 19, 2026
Lukas Van Ness, who was also in concussion protocol, is expected to suit up.
The Hargrave absence matters because Green Bay is losing one of its key interior pass-rush pieces, and it’s doing so without Parsons on the field as well. The Packers’ offensive line picture isn’t fully settled either, with Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele both listed as questionable.
Hargrave, 33, was quiet in Week 1, finishing with no pressures across 20 pass-rush snaps. But his track record still makes him a major loss. In 2025 with the Vikings, he logged 3.5 sacks and 31 total pressures in 16 games, and he has put up a pass-rush grade of 70.0 or better at Pro Football Focus in eight straight seasons.
Green Bay made him one of its biggest offseason investments, signing him to a two-year, $23 million deal that made him the team’s priciest free-agent addition.
For the Packers, the timing is brutal. Without Parsons, they’ve managed just seven sacks in five full games, including four in the four games before Hargrave made his debut last week. Now they’re heading into a matchup with a Jets offensive line that was dominant in pass protection in Week 1, and Green Bay is running short on answers up front.
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