GREEN BAY, Wis. -- What happened in the Green Bay Packers locker room after Sunday's game mirrored what happened on the field: Micah Parsons got all the attention, while Lukas Van Ness toiled in anonymity.
While Parsons held court with wave after wave of reporters who wanted to hear from the newly acquired edge rusher after his Lambeau Field debut -- a three-pressure, one-sack performance in a limited role during the Packers' 27-13 season-opening win over the Detroit Lions -- Van Ness sat at the other end of the room with almost no one else around him.
Yet it was Van Ness, the 2023 first-round pick, who turned in one of the stronger performances in his two-plus NFL seasons.
According to ESPN Research, Van Ness was the first defender to apply pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff a team-high four times Sunday. Parsons was next with three.
"I know what I'm capable of," Van Ness said, "and I think I showed a little bit of that today."
No one stood to lose as much as Van Ness did when the Packers traded for Parsons less than two weeks ago. When Parsons is ready for a full-time role, he will likely take Van Ness' starting spot. On Sunday, Van Ness started and played 54% of the defensive snaps, while Parsons played 45%.
"I'm telling you, I think Van Ness is going to have his best year yet this year," Parsons said. "I'm going to make sure of it. That guy, he's a very selfless player, like very selfless. He's one of them guys that can go anywhere. He plays the run, he does everything. He's the high-quality player that you just want to be around. I'm going to make sure that guy gets as many plays as possible."
It's almost seems as if Parsons has made it his personal mission to make sure Van Ness doesn't feel like he's being replaced.
"I believe in him," Parsons said. "I told him, I said, 'I think you can be like a Cameron Wake, [or] you could be like a Julius Peppers. You're a 4.5 [40-yard dash] guy, and it's time for you to show it.' And we're going to put it together. We're going to keep working out together ... and I'm excited to see how that turns out for him."
Van Ness, who had only seven career sacks in 34 games coming into this season, said he is already seeing the benefit of having Parsons around.
"Ultimately, we're just trying to get matchups and one-on-ones, and I mean, you saw the production today," Van Ness said. "I think we were able to get some favorable matchups and the one-on-ones that we want. I think especially since we added Micah to the room, I think it's, if you get that one-on-one, you better win. So I'm proud of the guys. I think we had a great game and it was a great way to kick off the season."
The Packers were able to pressure Goff on 14 of his 43 dropbacks on Sunday, yet they rarely sent more than the standard four-man rush. In fact, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley blitzed Goff (sending more than four rushers) on only two of his 43 dropbacks (5%). It was the Packers' lowest blitz rate in a game since Week 16 of the 2022 season against Miami (4%).
Hafley also employed a new-look front with three edge players -- Parsons, Van Ness and Rashan Gary -- on the field at the same time. In most cases, Van Ness bounced inside to defensive tackle. On one such play, Van Ness and Gary combined for a sack.
LVN SACK
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 7, 2025
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/qIAp3BuTw9
On another play out of that look, Van Ness dropped into coverage to allow linebacker Quay Walker to rush the quarterback. Van Ness then stopped a short pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs for a 2-yard loss on third down.
Afterward, Parsons called that "Cheetah." No, that's not Van Ness' nickname, but rather the name for that defensive front. But he is willing to help come up with something for Van Ness, too.
"He's not a cheetah," Parsons joked. "I can't let you all give him that one."
When told Van Ness was called "Hercules" coming out of college, Parsons said: "Hercules? I can't give you that one, too. We'll get a nickname for him. I'll call him 'Jaguar' or something like that."