Matt LaFleur perfectly sums up how Micah Parsons transformed Packers defense in his eye-opening debut performance
Edge rusher had three pressures, including a sack.
Micah Parsons didn’t need to play the entire game, didn’t need training camp, and didn’t need more than 10 days on the Green Bay Packers to show why he’s worth two first-round picks and a monster contract extension. In his first game for Green Bay, the star edge defender quickly showed his ability and transformative potential.
Head coach Matt LaFleur knows that. After a dominating 27-13 win over the Detroit Lions, LaFleur talked about how well Parsons fits the unit.
“He definitely has an aura about him, and his style of play fits with our other guys,” LaFleur stressed. “I think all those guys are excited to play with him, and they all benefit from that.”
Parsons played 29 snaps (45% of the defensive plays), and LaFleur admitted that he was somewhat tired by the fourth quarter. However, according to ESPN, the edge rusher generated three pressures, including a sack on Jared Goff. On that play, Parsons chased the opposing quarterback with impressive closing speed.
“A speed of light, or a shooting star just coming out of the sky and closing ground fast,” LaFleur said when asked what he saw on that play. “That’s why he’s here, right? That was really exciting to see. I definitely know our crowd reacted the right way as well. I don’t think I’ve heard them much louder than when he was introduced, and certainly on that sack.”
Overall, it was a big performance. Not only because of the production, but because Parsons allowed defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to be much more creative. Parsons himself moved inside on some snaps, and Lukas Van Ness always had some plays as an interior rusher.
“I thought it was very impactful. Look at that interception Evan Williams had, he beat Penei [Sewell]pretty quickly,” LaFleur added. “There was another sack where he got pressure on the quarterback, I’m not quite sure who got the sack, but I thought it was pretty impactful in the limited snaps he played.”
The Packers finished the game with four sacks and nine tackles for loss. Moreover, the rushing defense was excellent, allowing just 2.09 yards per attempt against a powerful run game.
Now, Micah Parsons has to recover fast. The Packers have a short week next and play the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, once again at Lambeau Field.
