Paul Bretl | 11/27/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — A forced fumble this past Sunday against San Francisco can hopefully be a catalyst for Packers’ second-year defensive end Lukas Van Ness heading into the remaining stretch of the season.
With the Packers up 24-10, the San Francisco offense had the ball at their own 15 yard line. Facing a 1st-and-5, from shotgun, quarterback Brandon Allen faked the handoff to Christian McCaffrey. With a mix of speed and power, Van Ness would run through the blocker, throw MCaffrey to the side, and hit Allen from behind as he stepped up in the pocket, forcing the fumble, which was recovered by Kenny Clark.
It was this play that ultimately put the 49ers away, with the Green Bay offense scoring three plays later to take a commanding 31-10 lead.
“I’ve been waiting for a big play like that and I’ve kept my head down,” said Lukas Van Ness on Tuesday. “Even going back to that game, I think a lot of it is you gotta take your shot and be willing to go out there and make a difference.”
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The play and the end result is a promising development on its own, particularly since it’s been a fairly quiet year for Van Ness. However, what is really encouraging is the real-time diagnosing by Van Ness of what the 49ers’ offense was trying to do and then putting together a pass rush plan that he was able to execute on.
Following the game, when asked about Van Ness’ forced fumble, Rashan Gary mentioned that a few series prior, Van Ness had noticed something in how the offensive line was blocking off of play-action and how the defensive front should then attack it. Then when San Francisco presented that look again, Van Ness knew exactly how to respond and took advantage.
“Man it was a great,” said Gary of the play. “A couple series back, Lukas was saying if he gives me the play-action, if we get it, just shoot up field and it was crazy because the play out there was the same play he was getting a couple series ago.
“So it actually showed how locked in he is, and we locked in and you see the formation, you pull the trigger and when you pull the trigger big plays happen and we needed it.”
Again, the result was terrific, but everything that went into getting to that point showcases the strides that Van Ness is making, even if that element isn’t going to show up on the stat sheet.
Van Ness finished that game with two pressures, his most in a game this season, along with recording his second sack. Before that game, Van Ness had just seven pressures in the previous 10 games and now ranks 79th out of 122 defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric.
In terms of playing time, he was the fourth member of that rotation against the 49ers, being out-snapped by Brenton Cox.
Coming to the NFL out of Iowa, Van Ness was a very raw prospect with fewer than 1,000 collegiate snaps under his belt. In Year 2, we are still seeing a young player who appears to be navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL, with it too often looking like he doesn’t have a complete pass rush plan and when his initial move is countered by the offensive lineman, Van Ness is seemingly taken out of the play.
This play on Sunday, and everything that went into making it happen, can hopefully provide Van Ness with a needed confidence boost.
“I hope it gives him the confidence that he’s been looking for,” said Jeff Hafley. “He kind of went in with power, continued to fight and did a really nice job finishing on the ball. I thought he played a better game, and I think he’ll continue to get better.
“Hopefully it’s just a confidence, just getting in routine, feeling good about himself and going out this week and continuing to do so. We have a ton of confidence in him. I think he did a really good job in the run game.”
It’s not only Van Ness who has gone through ups and downs this season, but, to varying degrees, you could lump most of the Green Bay pass rush unit into that category as well–although this unit has been picking up some steam in recent weeks.
When it comes to the Packers’ defense as a whole reaching its ceiling this season, an improved four-man pass rush over the second half of the season will be a must. The name of the game is getting after the quarterback, and when done consistently, there is a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the defense, with the timing and rhythm of the play being disrupted, which can then lead to mistakes–not to mention that pressure means less time in coverage for the defensive backs.
As a key member of that four-man rotation, Van Ness is going to play a pivotal role in helping this defensive front find more pass rush consistency. While the next step is to build off of Sunday’s performance so it becomes more of the norm rather than the outlier, Van Ness’ play against San Francisco was a step in the right direction.
“They always talk about stealing a play and that’s what separates those great players is they get a look once and they get it again they can recognize that and steal that play,” Van Ness said.
“That’s what I talked to my D-line coach about and it’s something I recognized during the game, but totally a difference maker and that’s again what’s separates all those great players is you can understand what you’re getting pre-snap and be able to react and make a big play.”