In Week 1, Green Bay Packers fans got a small taste of the Micah Parsons experience. Even while playing fewer snaps than usual, the former DPOY made his presence known multiple times against Jordan Love. Against the Washington Commanders, Parsons was finally fully unleashed, and Packers fans saw how disruptive he could be.
Parsons may have had only half of a sack credited to him, but anyone watching the Packers-Commanders game could tell his impact on defense. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels was never comfortable in the pocket, as Parsons was always breathing down his neck. If it wasn't Parsons, it was someone else on the defensive line clawing at him, freed up by the gravity of their star pass rusher.
New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter had an awesome reaction to the Micah Parsons show. Posting to X, the pass rusher said that, “RUSHERS are the new QB, we impact the game & winning just as much!! Micah proved it last night!”
Daniels was pressured 21 times against the Packers, contributing heavily to the Commanders' struggles on offense. The Packers' pass rush got home only a handful of times (four sacks on Daniels), but their presence was enough to bother the young quarterback. It also helped that the Packers' secondary was able to lock down the Commanders' passing attack, giving enough time for their pass rushers to win their assignments.
The Packers had a clear game plan coming into the Commanders game. Considered as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL, Daniels also struggled to run against Green Bay's defense. When the pass rush got to him, the Packers were able to swarm the quarterback as soon as he started to take off.
With Jayden Reed missing at least a month and a half due to a broken collarbone and the Packers' offensive line still injured, the Packers defense needs to step up big time. With Parsons wreaking havoc on their opponents, the offense should have enough breathing room to get comfortable.
