GREEN BAY — The last time we saw Lukas Van Ness, he was screaming off the right edge to sack Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco.

Unfortunately for the Green Bay Packers third-year defensive end, he suffered a foot injury on that play and hasn’t played a single snap since — although there’s an outside chance that’ll change with Sunday’s matchup between the Packers (5-3-1) and New York Giants (2-8) at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Despite seeing very limited work in practice on Thursday and Friday—his first practices since the injury — Van Ness is listed as questionable for Sunday, as are wide receivers Matthew Golden (shoulder) and Savion Williams (foot). The Packers ruled out cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) on Friday.

“Certainly you’d like [Van Ness] to have more practices under his belt,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged. “But if he feels like he can go, then we’ll put him out there.”

And according to fellow defensive end Micah Parsons, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has cooked up some special packages for whenever Van Ness returns to action.

“We know what you are when you’re at your best. I don’t want you worried about the foot,” Parsons said of his message to Van Ness as his return inches closer. “I just want you at the best. When Lukas is back and he’s giving us his best, y’all seen early on, he’s an incredible player, and I’m going to be very excited for him.

“There’s so many packages we’ve got waiting for when he gets back just because what we have, what we’ve seen, other players stepping up. It’s going to be really exciting.”

One existing package is what the Packers call their “Cheetah” personnel grouping, in which their top three edge rushers — Parsons, Rashan Gary and Van Ness — are all on the field simultaneously, with Van Ness rushing from an interior spot, typically alongside defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt.

“Lukas gives us a guy that can line up and play on the outside, he can kick down to a five-technique, he can play the three-technique. So he gives you a really versatile piece,” Hafley explained. “I think it gives us a lot of creativity and versatility that we’ve missed a little bit. Hopefully, we get a chance to do that again soon.”

If Van Ness has his way, it’ll be on Sunday against the Giants. Although he acknowledged his practice workload was far less than what he’d normally do when fully healthy, he believes he has checked the requisite boxes to get back to action.

“It’s been a long five weeks, but just been really exciting to get back on the field and get back out there with the guys and just getting a routine again,” said Van Ness, who missed the Packers’ victories at Arizona and Pittsburgh and their home losses to Carolina and Philadelphia. “It’s been a bumpy road. It’s been up and down. But, you know, I’m back on my feet again. I’m feeling healthy, and I’m excited to help this team.”

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