Stars are falling on both sides of the ball this evening. Shortly following news of an identical injury to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Packers fear star pass rusher Micah Parsons has suffered a torn ACL. Parsons will undergo further testing with the team in order to confirm the diagnosis. 
While Parsons and Mahomes both suffered the injury on their left knee, Parsons’ came without contact as he collapsed in the midst of a pass rush and went down holding the injured limb. Green Bay ruled him out shortly after, and in the postgame proceedings, head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters, “It doesn’t look good, I’ll leave it at that,” per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
It’s been a frustrating year for Parsons. As soon as the calendar changed to March and the 2025 NFL season, Parsons began negotiating with the Cowboys for a long-term extension. What followed was a novel’s worth of updates, how the two sides were far apart, how the team hadn’t even submitted an offer yet, how Parsons was asking for big money, and how the Cowboys were willing to make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Things got serious when Organized Team Activities took place without Parsons in attendance, indicating that Parsons’ negotiations were set to follow in the difficult footsteps of former teammates CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. Parsons eased tensions by returning for minicamp as negotiations continued, but things soured when Parsons felt he had been cornered to negotiate without his agent. Negotiations started going in the wrong direction after that, and Parsons requested a trade from Dallas.
After a good amount of tumult, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys finally caved, trading Parsons to Green Bay just a week and a half before the start of the regular season. The trade came along with a four-year, $188MM extension, providing Parsons with the raise he desired. In return, Parsons has given the team his usual brilliance. In just 14 games, Parsons has continued his streak of seasons with at least 12.0 sacks, something he’s done in all five years of his career. With three games left to go, he even had a chance to challenge his career-high sack number of 14.0.
Before Parsons’ arrival, the Packers defense was no liability. The 2024 unit ranked sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed behind a seventh-ranked rush defense and 13th-best pass defense. With Parsons in tow, the defense once again ranks sixth in points allowed and fifth in yards allowed. This time, though, Parsons has helped the pass defense improve to seventh in the NFL with an eighth-ranked run defense.
The Packers have a number of injuries throughout the defensive line aside from Parsons. Without Parsons, Green Bay will likely turn to Kingsley Enagbare and Lukas Van Ness to pick up the yoke across from Rashan Gary. They almost certainly will not be able to fully match his output, but they’ll need to try to minimize his absence as much as possible as the team just holds on to a Wild Card spot after today’s loss.
In addition to losing Parsons tonight, the Packers saw recently returned wide receiver Christian Watson depart today’s game with a chest injury. According to James Palmer of The Athletic, Watson left the stadium in an ambulance, but he ended up traveling home with the team after getting a scan, per another writer at The Athletic, Matt Schneidman.
Lets add another game, that won’t impact wear and tear on the best players.
Still time to delete this.
But if the owners and that stupid commish goodell have their way, they’ll add an 18th game.
Definitely a torn ACL, but who knows what else.
Awful
Heal up micah!
I mean, it’s doesn’t really affect the packers, because they were never going to win anything with or without Parsons.
That’s rich coming from a Bills fan.
There is my Lap dog. How are you puppy?
Ah yes, noticing your weak trolling famously makes someone your dog.
I forgot to get you and your mommy some water for your bowl.. my bad.
Yall cringe as hell
Lol. Your a joke.
Ah, the ability to predict the future. Wish I could do that.
Awful. He was so much fun to watch in that defense.
Men that sucks
Hope for a speedy recovery
But you know somewhere Jerry jones is like “I told you paying him that much was a bad idea”
If you had a mic in the room with Jerry I can guarantee he was laughing and saying how he was the smartest to get rid of him
Thanks for the 1st Rounders
LOVE, Jerry
Never want to see good players go down. Wanted Bears to beat them with him in there. Still a big loss for Packers.
Been a bad Sunday for injuries in Week 15, Parsons ACL?, Mahomes ACL?, Lavonte Adams Hamstring? and who knows who else for this week.
was that last paragraph left behind from a pervious parsons article like prior to the season starting?
It’s the NFL. Like all professional sports unfortunately players get injured. Hopefully a full recovery for an excellent and exciting player. The power and twisting, torqued moves he makes will make you wonder if the knee injury will have a long term effect.
It’s just messed up that teams that have a shot for the big prize losing their main players that can change a game. I’m just a football fan no alliances to any team but just want those teams to have their main players on the field and ready to play once the playoffs start and may the best team win it all. But now it will be kind of jaded that Parson or maybe Adams won’t have the opportunity to be a part of the NFL playoffs this year.