The Green Bay Packers are seriously banged up right now, and it’s hitting their front seven hard. With star edge rusher Micah Parsons sidelined, three interior defensive linemen on the injured reserve, and Devonte Wyatt playing limited snaps, you just know Packers fans were crossing their fingers for Lukas Van Ness to step up big against the Detroit Lions. Add to that both starting linebackers, Zaire Franklin and Edgerrin Cooper, out for Sunday’s game, and the box was looking thin. Everyone expected LVN to win some one-on-one reps, right? Well, that’s not what happened.
Detroit’s Blueprint to Silence Van Ness
So, what went down? Did Van Ness completely disappear? Not exactly. Watching the film, it’s crystal clear: the Lions had a genius game plan specifically designed to neutralize Van Ness. They wanted to force other defenders to make plays against quarterback Jared Goff, and man, did it work. Think about this: Van Ness got to line up on the tackle and rush the passer on the edge only five times all Sunday. Goff threw the ball 32 times! Funny enough, the one sack Goff took, Van Ness *was* lined up on the tackle for it. There was one other rep where Van Ness played a screen over the tackle and tipped the ball, but that’s it for his direct impact. This wasn’t some accident. Detroit was surgical.
Forcing the Backups to Win
The Lions really played chess, not checkers. There were times Van Ness would line up inside, only to get double-teamed instantly. Or he’d drop into coverage, specifically to let a blitzing linebacker or safety get after Goff without leaving the defense short in zone. That’s a tactic the Packers control, and you have to wonder if they should be playing fewer games with how they deploy Van Ness until their roster is healthier. What’s even wilder is how Detroit seemed way more comfortable passing the ball when Van Ness wasn’t on the field. In the run game, they mostly just ran away from his side. If they did run toward him, they’d use multiple tight ends to create a “long surface,” making it super tough for an edge rusher like LVN to have any real impact. Even off-tackle runs, which are standard, were designed to render him ineffective. The Lions were basically saying: “We’re taking Van Ness out of the game, Packers. Make your backups beat us.” And don’t forget, a few of those five edge rush snaps Van Ness did get were in Detroit’s two-minute drill, where they truly had no choice but to let him come after Goff. It speaks volumes.
The snap counts for other Packers box defenders show just how much more work everyone else was putting in:
* LB Isaiah McDuffie: 66 snaps
* LB Ty’Ron Hopper: 62 snaps
* DL Karl Brooks: 46 snaps
* DL Chris McClellan: 38 snaps
* ED Dani Dennis-Sutton: 33 snaps
* ED Barryn Sorrell: 32 snaps
It’s clear the Lions completely owned that matchup, and the Packers have some serious thinking to do about how they use Van Ness, especially with so many key players on the mend. You’ve got to hope they can figure out a way to unleash him, or other teams will just keep copying Detroit’s brilliant game plan.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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