DENVER – On a day in which injuries seemed to come in an endless wave for the Packers, the loss of Micah Parsons weighed heavily on the mind of Green Bay's team on Sunday evening.
In the aftermath of a 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos, Rashan Gary immediately went to check on his fellow defensive linemen after Parsons suffered a non-contact knee injury late in the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
The disappointment of the defeat paled in comparison to Parsons' departure. When first asked about Parsons' injury, Gary paused for 12 seconds while holding back emotions.
"When I came in, I told him to keep his head up and we're gonna finish strong for him," Gary said. "That's what I told him. I'm gonna keep in contact with him throughout what he's doing. That was my first message to him. It hurt. It hurt."
Acquired in a blockbuster trade back with Dallas in August, Parsons has had an immeasurable impact on defense since his arrival.
Heading into Sunday's game, Parsons was in the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 39 tackles, 26 quarterback hits and 12½ sacks in 13 games.
Everything came to a crashing halt with the Packers clinging to a 23-21 lead late in the third quarter. Parsons had just disengaged with right tackle Mike McGlinchey in pursuit of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix when he awkwardly planted his foot and fell to the ground.
Parsons went immediately to the locker room and was ruled out of the game in the fourth quarter. Asked whether the team fears an ACL tear, Head Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game: "It doesn't look good."
"Obviously it sucks when anybody gets injured," safety Xavier McKinney said. "It's a big loss for our defense, for our team, but the next guy got to step up, so, it is what it is, but I'm praying that … it's not like too, too crazy."
Parsons was in midst of yet another strong game. He had two tackles, drew a holding penalty, deflected a pass and forced a fumble in the first quarter that Edgerrin Cooper recovered, resulting in a 53-yard Brandon McManus field goal that put Green Bay on the board.
The Packers led 23-14 early in the third quarter before things quickly unraveled, beginning with Patrick Surtain's interception of Jordan Love on a deep ball on first down. Christian Watson, the intended target, left the game with a chest injury and didn't return.
Denver's second-year quarterback Bo Nix kept building momentum throughout the second half and drove the Broncos into Packers' territory, completing an 11-yard pass to Marvin Mims on the same play Parsons was injured.
Denver pulled ahead, 27-23, three plays after Parsons' exit on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin. Green Bay never led again in the game.
Nix completed 23 of 34 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns (134.7 passer rating) while the Broncos went 4-for-4 in the red zone compared to Green Bay's 1-for-4.
"Obviously, we probably wish we could've gotten some plays back … but at the end of the day, that's a good team," McKinney said. "They've got good coaches and we'll run into them again. They're on the other side obviously but hopefully we see them in the Super Bowl, but just keep going, keep fighting and it's not over yet."
There's obvious disappointment that accompanies Parsons' injury, but both McKinney and Gary acknowledge this remains a Green Bay defense that had lofty goals even before trading for the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher.
The Packers also got 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness back from a foot injury on Sunday while Brenton Cox Jr. nears a return from the groin injury that sidelined him since September.
After talking with Parsons, Gary said he pulled the defense together and to remind the unit what would be required for one of the NFL's top defenses to overcome the potential loss of one of the league's best players.
As much as the potential loss of Parsons hurts, Green Bay has a key NFC North matchup in six days against the Chicago Bears, who jumped back atop the division with a dominant win over Cleveland on Sunday.
"For the rest of the season, what we got? Three more opportunities? Watch how the front play," Gary said. "We had a meeting at the end, brought all the guys up, understanding that there's gonna be a lot of opportunities the next three weeks and we gotta take advantage of it, so you gonna see how we play."
