Handing the Detroit Lions a loss on Thanksgiving, spoiling their decades-long tradition, and sweeping the season series was about as good as it got last Thursday as far as regular-season wins were concerned. The Green Bay Packers' top performers all played a big role in the win, and Cheeseheads received the satisfaction of enjoying their feast with a win. But there was one loss on Thanksgiving that made the win bittersweet. 

Defensive Tackle Devonte Wyatt suffered an ankle injury in the game that will end his 2025 season. Wyatt has been having the best season of his career to this point, registering four sacks and six tackles for losses. After the departure of Kenny Clark, Wyatt has been leaned on heavily in run-stopping situations, and he has risen to the challenge. 

There's no big-time free agent to be signed, and the trade deadline has long since passed. So, there are no new starting defensive linemen to bring in to help soften the blow. Per the Packers' depth chart, it would be assumed that Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks will be relied on to be run stuffers for the remainder of the season. This will likely be the case, but they won't be on the field every down. Rookies Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse will need to play a larger role going forward to help the Packers' defense, which ranked 8th in the league against the run, remain at that position.  

Warren Brinson has only played about 15.7% of the snaps the Packers' defense has faced this season, but he's seen a large uptick in that number during the last two games. Brinson played 47.7% of defensive snaps against the Vikings and about 50% against the Lions on Thanksgiving. He came up with his first career sack against Minnesota, sharing it with Isaiah McDuffie. The former sixth-round draft pick has been a healthy scratch for a few games this season, but the more snaps he's received, the more improved he's looked. 

Nazir Stackhouse has been just under Warren Brinson in terms of snaps played this season, with 14.7% despite being active for all twelve games so far. He hasn't quite seen the uptick in snaps that Brinson has as of late, but he has done a decent job of clogging up the middle of the line when he is on the field. At 6'4 327 lbs, he is the heaviest defensive lineman on the Packers' roster, so he is your classic space-eater up the middle. At Georgia, Stackhouse's stats weren't what jumped off the page about him; it was his ability to absorb blockers and double teams, opening up space for his teammates to make plays. His power has also been noticeable in what little action he has gotten this season, with him getting enough penetration up front to throw off a running back, putting him right into the arms of Stackhouse's teammates. 

Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden are the two defensive tackles who will be relied on the most. They have the most experience, so naturally, they will see the field the most in Devonte Wyatt's absence. But this is Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse's time to show what they are capable of. They are rookies; they are going to be tested. On Sunday, as soon as Chicago sees 91 or 93 on the field, it's almost a guarantee they're going to try to exploit them. Both of these players got to this point in their football careers by being the prevailing underdog. They both climbed the ladder at Georgia and had to fill in for starters who had left. They did that with enough success to reach the NFL, and now it's time for them to do it at the next level. 

The success of the 2025 Packers may rely on both of these young players to step up. We will learn very quickly whether they are up for the challenge.