The Green Bay Packers are 8-3-1 on the season and are preparing for a showdown with their oldest rival, the Chicago Bears, on Sunday afternoon. At 9-3, the Bears not only lead the NFC North, but also own the top seed in the conference. That being said, if the Packers are able to win this weekend, they will take over the lead in the North.
After going 1-5 against their division rivals in 2024, Green Bay is 3-0 so far this season after their Thanksgiving victory over the Detroit Lions last week. Unfortunately, however, their win did not come without a devastating cost. Interior defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt broke his ankle and will be out for the remainder of the season.
Green Bay Packers rookies Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse talk about filling in for Devonte Wyatt
With Wyatt unable to play for the rest of the season, and with Karl Brooks also on the shelf, Green Bay will rely on two rookies, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse, to play more than they have so far this year.
Brinson was drafted by the Packers in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and Stackhouse was signed as an undrafted free agent.
Both rookies talked to Mike Spofford of packers.com about filling in for Wyatt. Per Spofford, Brinson said, “We just gotta do our job. It’s time to be next man up and it’s time to grow. We’re not rookies no more.”
Stackhouse added, “It’s real tough. “In the moment I was just hoping it was something minor. But it’s hard. It’s hard to see something like that, especially someone you’ve been playing football with since freshman in college.”
Stackhouse and Wyatt were teammates at Georgia.
After seeing the Packers pick up his fifth-year option prior to the season, Wyatt was enjoying his best year as a professional. He will end his 2025 campaign with 4.0 sacks, which is not his career high, but not far off the 5.5 he had in 2023 when he played in all 17 games.
More notably, Wyatt emerged as one of the team’s best run defenders, so both Brinson and Stackhouse will need to make sure they can meet the standard he set this season. They will have a tough baptism on Sunday against a Bears offense that rushed for 281 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.
