Micah Parsons' early season absence
will test the Packers' pass-rush abilities
[September 09, 2026]
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — In the year since the Green Bay
Packers acquired Micah Parsons, they’ve lost each of the four games
the All-Pro edge rusher has missed.
Parsons will miss at least the first four games of this season while
recovering from the torn left anterior cruciate ligament that ended
his 2025 season early. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's
biggest challenge is trying to assemble a solid pass rush without
Parsons available.
The first test comes Sunday when the Packers visit the Minnesota
Vikings.
“I feel really good about us being able to affect the passer right
now, from what they’ve done in training camp, what they’ve done in
some preseason games,” Gannon said.
The Packers’ results last season suggest that could be a tough task.
Green Bay owned a 9-3-1 record and was leading the Denver Broncos on
the road when Parsons went down. The Packers ended up losing 34-26
at Denver wouldn’t win another game the rest of the season.
Their five-game skid to end the season included two losses to the
rival Chicago Bears. Green Bay failed to sack Caleb Williams at all
in a 22-16 overtime defeat at Chicago in December and got him just
once when they fell to the Bears again 31-27 in the wild-card round
of the playoffs.
Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks last season. The Packers don’t have anyone
else who recorded more than Devonte Wyatt’s four sacks for them a
year ago.
They have a different group of edge rushers now as they wait for
Parsons’ return.
Rashan Gary was traded to the Dallas Cowboys after a 2025 season in
which he had 7 1/2 sacks, but none in Green Bay’s last 10 games.
Kingsley Enagbare signed with the New York Jets in free agency.
[to top of second column] |
Green Bay would get a major lift if 2023
first-round pick Lukas Van Ness takes the next step after totaling 8
1/2 sacks over his first three seasons. Van Ness has spoken in the
preseason about wanting to play more freely now that he’s healthy
again after a foot injury limited him to nine games last season.
“I think that’s a lot of how we see Micah play,
too,” Van Ness said. “You’re out there dictating the game versus
allowing the offense to dictate you. I think that’s been beneficial
for me, when I can get on a guy’s toes and use my capabilities and
my strength and my speed, I think it can be pretty dangerous.”
The only other edge rushers on Green Bay’s 53-man roster to open the
season are Brenton Cox Jr., 2025 fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell
and rookie fourth-round selection Dani Dennis-Sutton. Collin Oliver,
a 2025 fifth-round pick, is opening the season on injured reserve.
Green Bay does have seven interior defensive linemen. That group
includes Wyatt and Javon Hargrave, who has 49 sacks in his 10-year
career. Hargrave had 11 sacks for Philadelphia in 2022 when Gannon
was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
“It’s always a collective effort,” Gannon said. “I think people just
concentrate on the rush. Rush and coverage go together, so it’s not
just the guys that are rushing the passer. It’s the back end, how
that’s coordinated with the rush.
“I feel really good about our edge guys. I feel really good about us
being able to generate inside, the guys we have inside, and
hopefully we’ll put a couple cool things on tape that make it hard
on them.”
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
