The “Micah Parsons” effect can not be understated in view of how the Green Bay Packers defense has played since he tore his ACL. Fans and media alike worried that the Packers championship hopes were dead. However, despite playing a game with nothing to win against a team with nothing to lose, 3 young players in the Packers’ pass rush showed they can contribute.
Does anything matter anymore?
The Green Bay Packers final game of the regular season at the Minnesota Vikings clearly meant more to the home team. Jordan Love, despite clearing concussion protocol, was benched for Clayton Tune in a move that signaled the Packers’ goal for the game: get to the playoffs as healthy as possible.
Tune played historically poory and the Vikings ended their season with a 16-3 victory. In spite of the Packers no-show offense, the defense made the Vikings earn every point, holding them to less than 400 total yards. This was especially true after Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy left due to injury, and the Packers’ pass rush were able to sharpen their teeth against undrafted rookie Max Brosmer.
With the three starting Packers’ pass rushers sitting on the bench until Wild card weekend, the next three up were rookies Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver along with undrafted 3rd year Brenton Cox Jr. Between the three, they combined for 2 sacks, 7 QB hits, and a forced fumble. While these were not incredible numbers, it was the best performance by the Packers’ pass rush since Parson’s injury.
It is important to remember that while the Packers’ starting line was resting, the Vikings’ was not. Even with Christian Darrisaw on IR, the Vikings still had most of their offensive line healthy for this game. Cox, Sorrell, and Oliver came in as underdogs and made the Vikings work.
Reinforcements rushing in
The breakout game for these three players is very timely for the Packers’ pass rush. Sorrell was the only player of these three who was technically on the roster when Parsons got hurt. Due to being a rookie buried in the depth chart, Sorrell has had limited playing time this year. He made the most of his time on Sunday by getting a sack and recovering a fumble.
Brenton Cox Jr. only played week one against the Detroit Lions this season before being put on IR for over 3 months. Last year he played limited snaps, but has done well when on the field with 4 sacks in 2024. He added one more to that number on against the Vikings with a strip sack on Brosmer.
Collin Oliver is the most intriguing of these three players. Although only a 5th round pick this year, he was praised for being really good at one thing: getting to the quarterback as fast as possible. Sunday’s game was Oliver’s first pro start due to a serious hamstring injury that kept him off the field for 16 weeks. Although downplaying his teammate-given nickname of “Baby Micah,” Oliver ended the season with a bang with 4 pressures on only 15 pass rush attempts.
Too little too late?
In the two weeks after Parsons’ injury, the starting Packers’ pass rush only managed to get one sack. That sack was made by a blitzing Quay Walker, not a member of the defensive line. These are unacceptable numbers for any team that hopes to make a run in the playoffs.
Despite this, the Packers have proven they have players who can get to the quarterback. Collin Oliver, especially, may be one of the few players who has a hope of chasing down Caleb Williams on Saturday. Although their snaps will be limited by the return of the Packers’ preferred pass rushers, the three youngsters will have opportunities to chase quarterbacks and glory in the playoffs.
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