Ever have one of those days where you wish you would suddenly wake up and find out that the day you thought you had was all a dream? Well, that's how Green Bay Packers fans felt on Sunday evening. After Micah Parsons went down with what ended up being a torn ACL, fans either wanted that or someone to hit the reset button on the game console. What was a promising season with possible Super Bowl aspirations just took a huge blow. 

There is no replacing a player like Micah Parsons. He led the team with 12.5 sacks and demanded the offense's undivided attention any time he was on the field, or he would wreak havoc on the quarterback. There is zero doubt that the Packers' pass rush was improved in 2025 because of Micah Parsons. But now number 1 isn't on the field until hopefully early next season. So, what now?

An easy option to turn to is Rashan Gary. Gary is next in line after Micah Parsons with 7.5 sacks. But Gary hasn't registered a sack since week 8 in Pittsburgh and has only four QB hits. With Parsons gone, he's now likely to command the most attention amongst Packers' pass rushers. JJ Enagbare is expected to see a workload increase without Parsons on the field, but Enagbare has not had a very fruitful season thus far, despite lining up for almost 40% of the Packers' defensive snaps in 14 games. The Packers need some life from two pass rushers who have a lot of talent, but haven't seen the field a lot this season. 

Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell have kind of been the forgotten pass rushers this season, and that could change starting on Saturday.

Their Time is Now

Van Ness had a strong training camp and got off to a decent start in the first five games with 1.5 sacks and ten pressures, but a foot injury following his sack of Joe Flacco in Cincinnati cost him half the season so far. He attempted a comeback against Minnesota a few weeks ago, but that didn't work out as after six snaps he found he still needed a little time, and finally returned to the lineup fully on Sunday against the Broncos. He only saw the field for 22 snaps, 32% of the Packers' defensive total, registering two tackles. 

If Van Ness's foot is fully healed this time around, he could see an increased workload, and without Micah Parsons on the field, it's his time to show that he wasn't a waste of a top-15 draft pick after all. Back in July and early August, the hype of an LVN year 3 breakout was real. The former first-round pick was in the offensive backfield nearly every time Jordan Love dropped back to pass. He was making short work of tackles Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan, causing Love to either scramble out of the way or get rid of the ball a bit sooner than he wanted. 

Barryn Sorrell has been a forgotten defensive end this season, mainly due to his place on the depth chart. He's only seen 15% of defensive snaps throughout 12 games this season. In that time, he has registered a half sack and three QB pressures. Throughout training camp and preseason, it was worth noting Sorrell's unique athleticism for someone of his size.  He showed an ability to use his quickness to simply side-step block attempts en route to the Quarterback and used his hands very well to avoid letting offensive linemen get a hold of him early out of the gate.

With his regular-season opportunities, Sorrell has shown explosive potential. Against Chicago in week 14, he easily shed Bears' right tackle, Darnell Wright, and if not for the guard stepping in at the last minute, Sorrell would've had another sack on the season. Instead, he flushed Caleb Williams out of the pocket and up the middle for a minimal gain. He's also helped out in the running game, shedding blocks at the right moment to wrap up the ball carrier, and has shown a high motor in tracking down the ball across the field to make a play.

Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell will see an increase in opportunities with Micah Parsons sidelined. They have the talent, but we will find out if they can turn that talent into production and turn around their 2025 season.