Micah Parsons Green Bay Packers
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Micah Parsons Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers got off to a hot start in the first week of a season with an excellent performance against the Detroit Lions in a convincing 27-13 victory.
The win was the first time the Packers had beaten their Michigan rivals at Lambeau Field since 2021, and the win could be signal of a changing of the guard in the NFC North, with the Lions having secured the division title in successive seasons in 2023 and 2024.
What’s more, the Packers did it with new All-Pro trade acquisition, Micah Parsons, only playing around 45% of snaps on defense in week one, having only joined the franchise just over a week prior from the Dallas Cowboys.
However, despite the team playing on a short week on Thursday Night Football, and Parsons’ lingering back issues, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that the new-Packer is expected to have an increased role against the Washington Commanders in week two.
Parsons Set For An Increased Role On Defense, Per Fowler
“The Commanders expect Parsons to not only play,” Fowler reported on Thursday afternoon,”but play more snaps than he did last week against when he logged 29 snaps. The Packers are trying to ease him in over the last few weeks; they don’t want to overdo it, they have enough players so they can bring him in rotationally.”
Some of this projected increased play-time could come as a result of Parsons’ personal desire to get on the field more and get unleashed by defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, according to Fowler.
“Parsons has been lobbying behind the scenes for more snaps. So you could see Green Bay take the tarp off the Ferrari, at least a little bit more.”
What Could The Packers’ Defensive Line Rotation Look Like In Week 2?
The two defensive ends with the highest snap counts in week one were former top-15 picks, third year pro, Lukas Van Ness and seventh year, Rashan Gary, who played 54% and 70% of snaps on defense, respectively.
Gary had a standout game against Detroit managing 7 combined tackles and 1.5 sacks, part of which was attributed by some analysts to defensive distractions from Parsons on the other side of the line, allowing the ex-Michigan man to roam comparatively freely.
Van Ness had an impressive training camp, but he ultimately stands to become the third man in the edge-rushing rotation, after Gary and Parsons.
If Parsons’ workload is set to increase, it likely won’t skyrocket to 90-100% of snaps, simply due to his injury risks, and – as Fowler points out – the numerous other capable players in Green Bay at the position.
But it is very plausible that the former Cowboys could play up to around 2/3 (67%) of defensive snaps in week two, if the Packers consider it necessary, and the former Penn State star’s back does not flare up immediately prior to or during the game on Thursday night in Lambeau.
No one knows yet quite how much Parsons will play, but if its more than last week, the Packers faithful will certainly not be complaining any time soon.