Devastating Kingsley Enagbare injury update clouds Packers playoff win over Cowboys

It was almost the perfect day for the Green Bay Packers, as they crushed the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. However, the Packers lost a key player on defense in the playoff win.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare suffered a torn ACL against the Cowboys.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said postgame that Enagbare's injury didn't "look good for him." This update confirms the worst possible news.

Enagbare led the team with two quarterback hits against Dallas. Where Green Bay will miss him the most is in run defense. Enagbare often shuts down run plays on the edge. It's a big loss for a Packers defense that has been trending up in recent weeks.

How do the Packers replace Kingsley Enagbare against 49ers?

Engabare hasn't missed a game during his first two seasons in Green Bay. Preston Smith and Rashan Gary are the Packers' only edge rushers to play more snaps than Enagbare this year.

It will lead to an increased role for first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.

Van Ness has improved throughout his rookie season, and he will need to step into the No. 3 role behind Gary and Smith for the remainder of the year. Van Ness had a good game against Dallas, making one sack, one QB hit, and one tackle for loss.

But beyond Van Ness, the Packers don't have much experience at edge rusher. Rookie Brenton Cox Jr. ranks fourth among edge defenders on the team for snaps, but he has only played four defensive snaps this year.

Green Bay could promote Cox to a more significant role in next week's divisional round. Another option would be to sign a free-agent edge defender.

The Packers will miss Enagbare, especially against the run, in next week's game against the 49ers.

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