Van Ness wrecked the Jets, but Reed's neck is what Green Bay will remember
Lukas Van Ness had the best game of his young career, and by Monday it will be a footnote.
The edge rusher finished with 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits in Green Bay's 20-17 overtime win over the Jets. Edgerrin Cooper added eight stops, a sack and three TFLs. Evan Williams matched Van Ness with 10 tackles and broke up two passes. That's the kind of defensive line you want to see from a group that spent premium draft capital. It's also why the 17 points New York managed still felt like too many.
Then came the actual story of the afternoon. Jayden Reed was carted off with a neck injury. Coach Matt LaFleur said Reed has movement in all his extremities, and per NBC Sports, Reed will stay in a New Jersey hotel overnight rather than travel home with the team. ESPN also reported right tackle Bako-Bewele was carted off in the same game. Reed caught one pass for four yards before leaving.
The injury lands on an offense that was already scraping. Jordan Love went 16 of 29 for 145 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and three sacks taken. That's 5.0 yards per attempt and a 37.6 QBR. Two of his 16 completions scored, which is how you win a 20-17 game without actually moving the ball.
Special teams did more than the passing game. Skyy Moore returned four punts for 92 yards, including a 63-yarder, and four kickoffs for 116 yards at 29.0 per return with a long of 43.
Fantasy-wise, the target distribution is the tell. Christian Watson drew 11 targets and turned them into four catches, 41 yards and a score. Rookie Matthew Golden went 4 for 58 on six targets. If Reed misses time, Golden is the add I want in PPR, and Watson's 11 looks become his baseline rather than a spike. MarShawn Lloyd's lost fumble on six carries won't help him hold snaps against Kaleb Johnson, who led the backs with eight carries for 32 yards.
Owned take: this defense just bought the Packers a win their offense didn't earn, and Love's 5.0 yards per attempt is the number that decides whether that trade keeps working. Golden is the priority waiver claim. Reed's overnight hospital stay is the only thing that actually matters.
