With the Green Bay defense backed up in the season opener, facing a Lions third down in the red zone right before halftime, Micah Parsons beat the best right tackle in football with ease.
The All-Pro edge rusher set up Penei Sewell with a jab step to his outside. When Sewell bit, Parsons quickly darted inside to force a hurried throw by Detroit quarterback Jared Goff, who was picked off by Packers safety Evan Williams.
That is the Parsons effect. On an individual basis, he’s been as advertised for Green Bay, which signed the four-time Pro Bowler to a four-year, $186 million deal after his stunning acquisition from Dallas in late August. In three games, Parsons has 1.5 sacks, six quarterback hits and 19 pressures (second in the NFL).
But beyond his individual stats, Parsons has truly elevated what was already a great defense.
Entering Week 4, the Packers lead the NFL in scoring defense (14.7 points allowed/games) and yards per play allowed (3.7). They sit third in total defense (232.3 yards allowed/game) and expected points added per play allowed, according to Next Gen Stats. Ahead of a highly-anticipated Sunday night matchup with the Cowboys, the Packers have the early signs of a Super Bowl-caliber defense.
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“I’m just happy I can add to the room, really,” Parsons said last week. “I think this was already a really good team going into last year without me. I just think we can become a lot better with me here.”
That’s been obvious through three weeks. In that span, Green Bay’s pressure rate has been 36.6% (12th), per NGS — up from 32.3% through the first three weeks last season. The Packers’ defense has allowed an explosive play rate of just 5.3% this year, the lowest by any defense through the first three weeks of a season in at least nine years.
Parsons’ teammates upfront and in the secondary are benefitting from his presence in a big way.
Fellow Pro Bowl edge rusher Rashan Gary paces the league with a 37.5% pressure-to-sack conversion rate, according to NGS. Keisean Nixon had one of the more impressive games by a cornerback over the last couple of years when he recorded five pass breakups and allowed just one catch for nine yards on six targets in Green Bay’s Week 2 victory over the Commanders. Fellow corners Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine have allowed just a 16.7% and 20.0% catch rate as the nearest defender in coverage this season, respectively. That puts them both in the top six among qualified NFL defensive backs (Green Bay is the only team with two players in the top six).
Per Next Gen Stats, the Packers have had Parsons, Gary and 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness on the field together 22 times this season, 16 of which have been on third down. On those plays, Green Bay has allowed just 1.5 yards per play.
Parsons’ presence is helping to elevate Rashan Gary (#52) into one of the league’s best edge rushers. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Among edge duos, Parsons and Gary rank first in sacks (6) and second in pressures (31).
“I think what happens is, whenever you have a guy like Micah, the offense pays a lot of attention to him, right? Whether they’re going to turn protection to him. Whether they’re going to chip him, try to get four hands on him. It creates a lot of one-on-ones for everybody else,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said last week. “I think we took a really good defense and we added a really good player and it brought even more confidence to a confident group.”
The Packers are still getting to know Parsons. After all, he’s been with the team for only a month. But he has “quickly integrated himself” with Green Bay, according to Hafley. He brings good energy and a competitive demeanor. Nixon, when asked earlier this month if the team has a different swagger on defense, replied, “Yeah, we got Micah Parsons.”
Coach Matt LaFleur said there’s a collective excitement within the team.
“He definitely has an aura about him,” LaFleur said. “Just his style of play fits with our other guys.”
Parsons has tried to downplay his return to Dallas as “just another game.” The hype, of course, is huge, but the way he sees it, no one is going to be worried about the trade when the ball is kicked off. It’ll be about him and the offensive linemen in front of him. About helping the Packers win the battle at the line of scrimmage.
“If they worry about me, I got other guys,” Parsons explained. “I got [Devonte] Watt. I got Karl [Brooks]. I got Rashan, who’s dominating this year. We got a group of guys that they need to focus on.”
That’s the Parsons effect, and why the Packers’ defense is now so dangerous.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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