The Green Bay Packers‘ official injury report included a whopping 15 names on Thursday, November 12, and among the most consequential of them belongs to outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness.
Van Ness is in the midst of a career season with highs in both QB hits (11) and sacks (4.5) that surpass anything he accomplished in any of his previous three NFL campaigns. He has been a critical element to what has proven a strong Packers defense over nine games (6-3) this season, especially considering the absence of Micah Parsons for all of those contests.
So it was a big deal when Van Ness popped up on the injury report this week with a back issue. It was a bigger deal when he didn’t practice on Wednesday, and the biggest deal to date came Thursday when Van Ness missed yet another session.
Back-to-back DNPs do not necessarily mean that Van Ness won’t play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field, though his current track brings down significantly the odds of his presence on the field for the critical NFC North Division showdown.
That Green Bay enters its bye following the contest against Minnesota and has 10 days off before returning for a Thanksgiving Eve game in Los Angeles against the Rams could incentivize the Packers to err on the side of caution with Van Ness. If they sit him against the Vikings, he gets another full week and a half to rest and rehabilitate his back before suiting up again.
Micah Parsons Probably Won’t Return for Packers Until Rams Game in L.A.
Parsons was also on the injury report Thursday as a limited participant in practice due to his continued ramp up from ACL and meniscus tears he suffered nearly 11 months ago near the end of last regular season.
The superstar pass-rusher missed work on Wednesday due to an illness.
Green Bay could run Parsons out against the Vikings on Sunday, which would prove a shocker based on his own comments and projections from media members about his return. The general consensus is that Parsons will get back onto the gridiron in Los Angeles on November 25 following the bye week.
Kirk Cousins Likely to Start for Vikings Against Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 10
Thus, in a worst-case scenario that is unfortunately feasible, if not even bordering on probable given the public information involving the relevant circumstances, the Packers defense could take the field against Minnesota without the two best pass-rushers on its roster.
Meanwhile, the Vikings just traded a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday in exchange for quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins returns to Minnesota after two and a half seasons split between Atlanta and Las Vegas, and he will presumably start at Lambeau Field during the NFL’s opening slate of Week 10 games on Sunday.
The Packers are currently three-point favorites to best the Vikings and head into the bye with their seventh victory of the season. However, that line has dropped from 5.5 points earlier in the week, which reflects the Cousins deal, and it could fall further depending on how healthy Green Bay is come the weekend.
Packers’ Pass Rush Takes Hit Ahead of Vikings Showdown