EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- No one was more excited about what Lukas Van Ness did in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win against the New York Jets than Micah Parsons -- to the point that Parsons was telling some of his fellow Green Bay Packers defensive players that Van Ness was so dominant at the line of scrimmage that he should never, ever drop into coverage.
And the more Parsons talked in the back corner of the locker room, the louder he got.
After all, Parsons has been touting the underachieving Van Ness ever since he arrived in Green Bay last year. This offseason, he predicted the defensive end would break out and said Van Ness' popularity might rival his own.
Parsons, who has at least two more weeks on the physically unable to perform list before he can come back from last year's torn ACL, might have some catching up to do after a game like this from Van Ness: nine tackles (three for a loss), 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits.
The Packers needed every bit of it to come back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Jets in overtime at MetLife Stadium on a day when injuries piled up, especially on offense.
While Parsons slipped out the back door without talking to reporters, there were plenty of others left to sing Van Ness' praises.
"He was all over the place," coach Matt LaFleur said.
"It seemed like he was everywhere," Packers safety Evan Williams said.
"He was flying around making a lot of plays, especially at the end," quarterback Jordan Love said.
The end was when they needed it the most.
How about a fourth-and-1 stuff of running back Braelon Allen at midfield with the game tied and 1:15 left in regulation? It got the Packers to overtime.
And what about a shared sack with rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton on the Jets' second play of overtime right after Barryn Sorrell and Brandon Cisse sacked Geno Smith on the first play? Next thing you know, the Jets were in third-and-30 and punting the ball away to set up Trey Smack's game-winning field goal.
"I was just focused on dominating," said Van Ness, whose status for the game was unclear until Saturday when he passed the concussion protocol.
To be sure, there were other standout defensive plays by other players. There was Williams' breakup of a deep pass intended for receiver Adonai Mitchell right before the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter. There was safety Xavier McKinney's tackle on third down to stop a drive and force a punt that Skyy Moore returned 63 yards to set up the game-tying field goal with 2:59 left in regulation. And there was coordinator Jonathan Gannon seemingly knowing exactly when to send pressure.
"I can't give enough credit to our defense, our defensive staff, Jonathan Gannon, just calling a very aggressive game," LaFleur said. "I'm sure glad we got him because I think he's an elite defensive coordinator, football coach and just a great leader."
But it kept coming back to Van Ness, the former first-round pick who in two games this season has 2.5 sacks, which is one more than he had all of last season.
"Barring injury last year, he would've been doing the same stuff," Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said. "He was already doing the same stuff that he's doing right now, so with a guy like Lukas Van Ness, you hate to say the sky's the limit because I think that he can be even better than that. He's a dog. He's a physical specimen, and I'd hate to have to play against him when the lights are actually on."
The Packers were banking on this kind of production from Van Ness when they made him the No. 13 pick of the 2023 draft. That was the pick they got via the Jets as part of the Aaron Rodgers trade.
Now, they can't wait to see what Van Ness and Parsons can do together whenever Parsons returns from his knee injury. PUP rules say Parsons can actually begin practicing this coming week even though he's not allowed to play before Week 5 against the Bears.
"It's gonna be fun," Van Ness said of playing with Parsons. "I'm excited about it and that's what's been so important with him continuing to be involved in meetings and the film room, and just how we're gonna communicate on the football field and align our rushes and work together. I can't wait for the day he gets back and we're gonna have a lot of fun together."
