The Packers lost their best defensive player, and arguably one of the best defensive players in the NFL, on Sunday against the Broncos. So, how can the Packers win without Micah Parsons?
After the Packers seemed to be in the driver’s seat on Sunday in Denver, the unthinkable happened; Micah Parsons suffered a non-contact injury. Within 10 minutes, the game was flipped upside down for Green Bay.
Just before Micah Parson’s injury, Christian Watson went down. On the same play Parsons was injured, safety Evan Williams was also hurt. Offensive lineman Zach Tom also got hurt during the game.
After all this, the Packers crumbled and ended up blowing their lead against Denver. With that loss, the Packers are now back to second in the NFC North and are currently the 7th seed in the NFC.
This team was still a good team before the Parsons trade, but replacing a player of his caliber is going to take a lot better performances from the pass rush, and the defense as a unit.
If the Packers want to continue to win games this season and ultimately make a run, they will need a lot from players like Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary, and even Brenton Cox.
Rashan Gary has been quiet the last couple months. What began as an excellent start, as he had already recorded 7.5 sacks through the game against Pittsburgh, has since fallen off tremendously.
Gary has not recorded another sack since then and has only recorded 4 quarterback hits since then. He’s making a lot of money to not put up a lot of numbers. Now’s the time for that to change.
During a postgame interview following the loss to Denver, Gary had this to say, “…We had a meeting at the end, brought all the guys up, understanding that there’s going to be a lot of opportunities the next three weeks and we got to take advantage of it, so you going to see how we play.”
Rashan Gary can definitely talk to the talk, but can he walk the walk? We all know there is no way to replace Micah Parsons, but a new level of play from each individual in the pass rush could certainly help.
So, with a huge disadvantage in the pass rush, this means the corners are now under more pressure. This became evident in the last parts of the game against Denver, as Bo Nix had his way with the Packers’ corners.
Carrington Valentine and Keisean Nixon will need to find a way to bounce back after such a lackluster performance against Denver. Less pressure up front means more pressure is on the secondary to maintain good coverage.
With the huge loss on defense, the offense is now put under some pressure too. The ability of Micah Parsons to control the game has allowed the Packers offense to escape with wins when they weren’t generating a lot of points.
That now changes. The Packers have certainly been better on offense the second half of this season, but there is less room to rely on the defense in getting stops now that Parsons is out.
Jordan Love and company must consistently score points, control the clock and give the defense proper rest within games. Remaining aggressive and scoring points is the only way this Packers team remains competitive.
That also means this puts a ton of pressure on head coach Matt LaFleur, as it is up to him to continue to ignite the offense and call plays that get the ball moving down the field. Prior to the Parsons injury, the Packers controlled the game well.
This offense can still win this team games as long as it operates through Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs and Christian Watson.
Saturday presents with its own challenges. The Packers are set to face the Chicago Bears again, as they just managed to grab a win against them two weeks ago.
Playing a team, much less a division rival, twice in three weeks is not easy. Jordan Love on the matchup, “Yeah, it’s weird playing a team twice in three weeks, but it’s a big game so we’re treating it just like another one but everything’s still fresh on your mind, I’d say.”
While the Packers will be without Micah Parsons of course, and likely Evan Williams and maybe even Josh Jacobs if his knee issue that he’s played through continues to linger, the Bears are also missing some key players.
The Bears will be without wide receivers Rome Odunze, who missed the first matchup two weeks ago, and Luther Burden, who stepped up two weeks ago in Odunze’s absence. Two key offensive players.
So, yes Micah Parsons being out for the season is devastating for this Packers team, who were getting hot at the right time, but this is still a talented team.
Is this a Super Bowl team without Micah? That’s what this team has to prove on Saturday. Packers get a gutsy win, and Matt LaFleur coaches an excellent game, Packers 27 Bears 23.
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