Writing a Letter to Santa: Packers Edition

The snake-bitten Packers have had the same issues on defense. They’ve had to play games without some key contributors at every level of the defense: Lukas Van Ness, Evan Williams, and Quay Walker, not to mention Parsons and Wyatt. It’s pretty absurd how bad it’s gotten.

For Christmas this year, it would be great to have Santa deliver some good health. Jordan Love’s concussion needs to heal quickly. Parsons’ ACL surgery needs to go well. The injury report needs to shrink by Saturday. Better yet, no more players need to be added to the injured reserve. Santa might not be a doctor, but all of these wishes would be a dream come true.

Someone to Rush the Passer

The Packers have 33 sacks and 287 pressures this season, per PFF. The problem is that 50% of the sacks and 35% of the pressures are by players who will miss the rest of the season due to injury. It won’t be an easy solution, but the Packers will need to find other ways to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

In the Packers’ first game without Parsons and Wyatt, they weren’t able to record a sack on Caleb Williams. PFF credited Green Bay’s defense with 23 pressures on the day, but a face mask penalty nullified the only potential sack. No one had more than four pressures individually.

To make matters worse, the Packers’ quintet of edge rushers (Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Barryn Sorrell, and Brenton Cox Jr.) combined for only 9 of the pressures on 89 pass rush snaps. That won’t cut it moving forward. Finding a solution to this issue might take a Christmas miracle.

Parsons isn’t coming to the rescue anytime soon, so someone else will need to step up. Maybe Gary will start playing up to the four-year, $96 million contract extension he signed in 2023. Or maybe, Lukas Van Ness will finally show why he was taken with the 13th overall pick in 2023. Better yet, maybe one of the younger guys like Barryn Sorrell or Collin Oliver can start to make an impact. The Packers really need this to happen, Santa.

Keisean Nixon Returning Kicks

Keisean Nixon needs to start returning kicks. This isn’t a big request. Nixon is a two-time All-Pro kick returner. He led the NFL in kickoff return yards in both 2022 and 2023. Before the NFL modified the kickoff rules, Nixon was a game-changer on special teams. It’s time to give that a try again.

It’s no secret that the Packers neglect special teams. They have the 26th-ranked special teams units based on EPA at -26.5. They are 21st in average yards per kick return at 25.3. Simply put, the trio of Savion Williams, Bo Melton, and Emmanuel Wilson has not been very effective at returning kicks. Luckily, there’s a quick fix for that.

After the rule change, opposing teams didn’t give Nixon many opportunities to return kicks. Nixon had 18 opportunities in 2024. He averaged 29.3 yards, which is significantly better than what the Packers are getting this year. Opposing teams will have two options: give Nixon a shot to return it, or give the Packers the ball at the 35-yard line. Seems like a win-win scenario.

The problem is that it’s hard to add one more thing to Nixon’s plate. He’s already played over 900 defensive snaps (96%) this season. But knowing Nixon’s competitive nature, it’s probably fair to assume that Nixon would be up for the added responsibility. Not to mention, his defensive performance has been shaky to say the least. Maybe he needs something that will get his juices flowing a bit more.

Making Christmas Dreams Come True

The Green Bay Packers still have everything that they want ahead of them. They have a 96% chance to make the playoffs, per the New York Times Playoff Simulator. They still have a chance to win the division. It might be unlikely (only 12%), but the opportunity still exists.

The Packers really need your help, Santa. They still have opportunities there for the taking, but that could change quickly. All we’re asking for is good health, a pass rusher, and a new kick returner. If these three wishes come to fruition, our Christmas dreams will come true.

Sincerely,

Your friends here at Packers Talk

PS: We left out a brat, some cheese curds, and a beer for you. Hope you enjoyed it!