Green Bay Packers superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons won the NFC Defensive Player of the Month after a spectacular October, but he was not able to sustain his form into his team's first outing in November.
In the Packers' embarrassing 16-13 upset loss to the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the four-time Pro Bowler failed to record not just a sack but also a pressure. In fact, it was the first time since he entered the NFL that he did not muster a single pressure in a game.
Via the NFL’s NextGenStats (h/t NFL.com): “Micah Parsons did not record a single pressure across 21 pass rushes in the Packers' Week 9 loss to the Panthers, marking his first career game without a pressure. Parsons faced a double-team on 28.6% of his pass rushes (6 of 21), his second-highest double-team rate in a game this season.”
Parsons' pressure-less game came just two weeks after he recorded three sacks in a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale. He followed that up with a one-sack outing in a Week 8 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. Many expected him to be a difference-maker anew for Green Bay's defense versus the Panthers, but Carolina managed to contain him by sending double teams to the former Penn State Nittany Lions star pass rusher multiple times.
Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was sacked just once in the entire game, but it was the Panthers' rushing attack that spelled the difference. Running back Rico Dowdle burned rubber for 130 rushing yards and two scores on 25 rushing attempts, as Parsons and Green Bay's defense couldn't find an answer to the Panthers' success on the ground.
On the season, Parsons has 20 total tackles and 6.5 sacks for the Packers, who are now 5-2-1 after eight games.
It's not about to get much easier for Green Bay, with a showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles waiting for them in Week 10.
