In embodiments of systems and methods for managing acknowledgement packets in an uplink data packet stream including secure or encrypted data packets, a computing device may identify uplink acknowledgement (UL ACK) packets within the uplink data packet stream, and may accelerate processing of the identified UL ACK packets. In some embodiments, UL ACK packets may be identified based on whether packet lengths of packets meet a packet length threshold or meet a packet length range. In some embodiments, UL ACK packets may be identified based on information for identifying such packets receiving via a cross-layer application program interface (API). In some embodiments, UL ACK packets based whether packets include a specified differentiated services field codepoint (DSCP) in a packet header portion that is not encrypted.