Lukas Van Ness is having a great season for the Green Bay Packers, giving the defense a huge boost at a position many anticipated would be one of the team's weakest.
After a quiet few weeks, though, the Packers need him to perform as he did at the start of the season during one of the team's biggest stretches.
Van Ness came into the Packers' 2026 season looking to prove a lot. The young pass rusher was drafted in 2023 with the 13th overall pick, and for some time, didn't look like he would be panning out as a pick of that caliber. Throughout his career, he's accrued just 12 total sacks and too often looked overmatched in many of his games.
Lukas Van Ness has had a stellar start, but must stay consistent
However, this season, something has clicked for Van Ness. The pass rusher has tallied four sacks this year alone and looks much more comfortable than he has in any of his previous seasons. However, after a hot start that saw him have three sacks in his first two games, Van Ness' play has tapered off a bit.
As a result, the Packers' pass rush has taken a dip, and it's something that the team needs to bounce back, especially after last year. In the Packers' 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions last week, Van Ness was completely blanked. Not only did he not accrue a sack or quarterback hit, but he didn't even record a tackle of any kind.
It's the first time that's happened to Van Ness this year, but over the course of the last four games, most of his stats have been on the downturn. According to PFF's numbers, Van Ness garnered three sacks and four quarterback hits in the team's first three games.
Since then, however, Van Ness has totaled just one sack and one quarterback hit. Thankfully, he's made up for it a bit by increasing his quarterback "hurries" number and has done a great job forcing opposing teams' quarterbacks to get rid of the ball quickly.
From a pass-rushing perspective, Van Ness has kept his grades up, with PFF grading him a 76 overall in the team's two wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. For the most part, it looks like his game against the Lions was a blip on the radar. However, after starting out the year looking to be a major contributor for the Packers' pass rush, Van Ness has largely been held in check.
With Micah Parsons still preparing to play, it continues to be on Van Ness to not only generate pressure but also finish off plays and get to the quarterback. The process is still good for the young rusher, and hopefully the results start to show up.
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