Will the Bye Slow Down Rashan Gary’s Hot Streak — Or Take It To Another Level?

While most of the Green Bay Packers’ roster welcomed the early bye week, edge rusher Rashan Gary might have preferred to keep his hot streak rolling without taking a week off. With the Denver Broncos’ offense sputtering, Gary has an excellent opportunity to pick up where he left off over the first month-plus of the season.

The only reason that Gary might have wanted a week off would be to give his knee a break, but the 25-year-old has been a revelation. He returned ahead of schedule from a torn ACL suffered in November 2022, still less than a calendar year ago. The Packers coaches have yet to fully unleash Gary over the first five games, but he still ranks among the league leaders in sacks (4.5, tied for 12th) while playing just 107 snaps, or about 30% of the total defensive snaps. His pressure rates and win rates stack up with the best in the league, even when considering the small sample size.

While Gary continues to ascend, the offensive line he'll be squared up against on Sunday seems to be trending in the opposite direction. Former 9th overall pick Mike McGlinchey signed a five-year, $87.5 million free-agent deal with Denver in the offseason. However, he has struggled in his first year with the Broncos, and that’s putting it mildly. The Athletic's Nick Kosmider outlined some of the difficulties that the Denver offensive line, and McGlinchey in particular, has had through the first six weeks.

If trends continue, it sets up to be a perfect storm for Green Bay's defense. With 12 days off following the Packers' Monday night loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the likelihood that Gary will come off the bye with no restrictions only stands to increase. The Broncos are coming off a mini bye after having played last Thursday, but it was a hard-fought battle on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. That loss dropped Denver to 1-5 on the season, and even led veteran lineman Garrett Bolles to issue a challenge that not only his teammates need to be better, but the coaches need to be better, too.

Neither team is necessarily lighting the world on fire right now, and Green Bay's offensive line certainly has its own issues. Going on the road, the Packers will need their playmakers to be able to step up and find a way to shift the balance in their favor. Even if he’s still on a snap count, Gary has a chance to do just that.

Every sack, every hit, and every big play seems to add a few dollars to the reported $100 million-plus extension that is reportedly heading Gary's way within the coming weeks or months. Motivated not only by the desire to get back to health but also that incredible payday on the horizon, the stars are aligning for Rashan Gary to have another huge day on Sunday against the Broncos. He's already got one three-sack game on his ledger for the season against the New Orleans Saints. Don't be surprised if he leaves the Rocky Mountains with a few more to his name.