Packers Might Have Found Some Juice to Lackluster Pass Rush

MINNEAPOLIS – The Green Bay Packers are heading to the postseason after wrapping up their regular-season obligations with a 16-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday.

With their playoff spot clinched, the Packers parked most of their important players on the bench to get ready for next week’s postseason opener.

When the season began, the Packers were dreaming about a pass-rushing quartet that included Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt.

With Parsons and Wyatt down for the season, Gary and Van Ness did not play on Sunday, which gave way to Green Bay’s reserves.

Parsons’ season ended on Dec. 14 with a torn ACL, and the defense fundamentally changed from there. Green Bay’s superpower was sapped. From that point until the end of the season, the Packers sacked opposing quarterbacks just twice.

Both of those sacks came against the Vikings, one each by Brenton Cox Jr. and Barryn Sorrell.

Sorrell’s pro career began with a bang. He was one of the best stories of April’s NFL Draft as the first pick of the fourth round by the team hosting the draft. He was in town, and his family got a quick introduction to the Packers organization and where he’d be spending the start of his professional career.

At the time, Sorrell represented the most significant investment that the Packers had made in their pass rush during the offseason.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Barryn Sorrell (99) recovers a fumble against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of course, everything changed when Parsons was acquired, Sorrell went from someone who had an inside track to playing time to fighting for any precious snap that may come his way.

As the season progressed, Sorrell even had to deal with being a healthy scratch, which he was on two occasions.

Sorrell continued to tell himself all the right things, but waiting is difficult for any player that has reached this level of football.

“It can be difficult at times,” Sorrell said. “I’m a football player, so I want to go out and play football. Just really looking back on having patience, realizing I’m in a blessed position. I’m not in a spot where I’m forced to be in a position.”

Sorrell was forced into a position on Sunday due to the absence of Parsons and the decision to not play Gary, Van Ness or Kingsley Enagbare. He turned in what was his best game as a pro to date. Parsons, among others, were excited to see some of his teammates get extended an opportunity.

I’m excited to watch Barryn and CO today with these oops!
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) January 4, 2026

That opportunity led to the biggest moment of Sorrell’s career. His first full sack.

Sorrell, who was awarded a half-sack in the Packers’ 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 2, took down Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy on third-and-2 early in the third quarter. It was not a highlight-reel play, but one that showed the type of effort Sorrell puts in to get after the quarterback.

“Just straining. Getting to the ball,” he said. “Shoutout to Nazir (Stackhouse) on that one. He got him to stop his feet and I was coming from behind. That’s really what it comes down to. Just playing with effort, playing as a unit, and I think we did that today.”

Ultimately, he was happy to see his sacks number rise.

“It feels great, man. That point-5, I don’t like the way it looks. Happy for it to happen,” said Sorrell, who had more tackles against Minnesota (eight) than he did all season (seven).

Sunday’s game was not just a participation trophy for the players on the field, and that’s especially true for the defensive line.

Gary is going to start in the wildcard playoffs next week, but he has not sacked the quarterback since the end of October. Van Ness has been in and out of the lineup with injuries, has 1.5 sacks this season and has yet to be overly productive in his young career. Enagbare has two sacks.

Jeff Hafley can dial up pressure, but the more pressure he sends, the more vulnerable his coverage will be in the secondary, which also struggled to end the season.

The reality is the Packers’ pass rush needs some juice up front.

Sunday’s game against the Vikings was not perfect, but they did get more production from Cox, Sorrell and Collin Oliver, who made his NFL debut on Sunday. Oliver, in particular, offers a different skill-set than some of the big power rushers that occupy a vast majority of Green Bay’s defensive end room.

Ultimately, Cox, Sorrell and Oliver acquitted themselves well with their extended snaps.

“Yeah, I think absolutely. I thought both those guys played really hard,” LaFleur said of Cox and Sorrell.

“We got to go take a look at it and do a deeper dive on it and critique it. But I thought as far as the energy and just how they competed, I was happy with that.”

That trio finished Sunday’s game with eight tackles, two tackles for losses, two sacks and a fumble forced by Cox on his sack that Sorrell recovered.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) causes a fumble that was recovered by defensive end Barryn Sorrell (99). | Dan Powers-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

With the focus shifting to the playoffs, plays like the one Sorrell and Cox combined for can swing an entire game. With the Packers’ defense starved for takeaways, they’ll take them wherever they can find them.

For now, however, Sorrell is just keeping things simple.

“I mean it’s just about what my coaches put me in position to do,” Sorrell said. “I’ll take full advantage of whatever role they put me in. I’m looking forward to going out there and competing with these guys.”

That competition could extend into next week. The playoffs are here, and everything starts over. Green Bay, despite its four-game losing streak, is looking at the season as if it is just beginning.

“I think our guys are excited. They're excited for the challenge,” LaFleur said. “They're excited for the opportunity. And that's how we're going to attack it, and that's our mindset. Because right now, when you get to the postseason, everybody's zero and zero. It's a, I mean, it's a clean slate, so we have an opportunity, and that's all you can ask for.”

If they don’t want their season to end, they’ll need to find some help up front, and Sunday’s game could have been the start of finding those answers.

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