Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons delivered a performance for the ages as a pass rusher on Thanksgiving Day. In the Packers’ 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, Parsons recorded 2.5 sacks, eight tackles, four quarterback hits, and 10 total pressures, lifting his new team to an 8-3-1 record.
Parsons’ 2.5 sacks on Jared Goff pushed his 2025 total to 12.5, making him the first player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons. He reached the milestone after posting 13 sacks in 2021, 13.5 in 2022, 14 in 2023, and 12 in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys, earning four Pro Bowl nods and two All Pro First Team selections along the way.
Before this year, Parsons shared that distinction only with Hall of Famer Reggie White, one of the few players to open his career with five straight seasons of double digit sacks.
What went through Micah Parsons’ mind when learning he’s the first player in NFL history to open his career with at least a dozen sacks in 5 straight seasons?
“How can we get to six? That’s the mindset.”
The man’s motor isn’t just on the field. It’s in the record books. pic.twitter.com/VdcolcOfbn
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) November 27, 2025
When asked about becoming the first NFL player to start his career with five consecutive seasons of 12 or more sacks, Parsons replied immediately, showing the same conviction he brings on every snap.
“How can we get to six? That’s the mindset,” remarked the Packers star edge rusher. “And then it’s like, once you do six, how do you get to seven? How do I keep improving? How do I continue to get better?”
Micah Parsons dominates the Lions
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) runs against Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.
Parsons dominated throughout Thursday’s game, overwhelming Detroit’s protection and disrupting Jared Goff on 38.5 percent of his pass-rush snaps, his highest mark since his rookie year. He delivered a string of momentum-shifting plays, including a third-and-15 sack in the opening quarter, a tackle for loss on fourth-and-2 in the third, and two more sacks on the Lions’ final drive that forced them to settle for a field goal.
The 26-year-old has notched 8.5 sacks and 41 pressures in five Thanksgiving Day appearances, tying the NFL record for most sacks on the holiday, according to Next Gen Stats.
Nov 23, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) celebrates the victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images
Parsons became the centerpiece of Green Bay’s defense the moment he arrived, coming over from Dallas in a blockbuster deal that cost the Packers two first rounders and Kenny Clark. They immediately committed to him with a four year, 188 million dollar contract, and he has rewarded that investment by dominating week after week.
He has racked up 10 sacks over the Packers’ last seven games and continues to anchor a unit that ranks fourth in the NFL in yards allowed and points surrendered. Green Bay’s front seven keeps generating pressure, piling up 32 sacks this season, and Parsons’ 12.5 sacks have driven a large share of that success.