GREEN BAY, Wis. – The first reaction from Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos is that the Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl chances were crushed when Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL.
Parsons, the driving force behind one of the top defenses in the NFL, will miss the rest of the season and probably will miss the start of next season, though he might argue otherwise. Parsons entered Week 15 with a league-high eight sacks in the fourth quarter and overtime, which is why he was nicknamed “The Closer” by defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
The Packers still are in position to make the playoffs, so all is not lost. In fact, if they can beat the Bears on Saturday night, they’ll be right back to No. 2 in the NFC. The day after every game, we write three overreactions. This week, it’s the opposite. Here are three reasons why the Packers can realistically overcome Parsons’ injury to make a run.
1. Jeff Hafley
The Packers’ defense has been great this season. Bolstered by the trade for Parsons, the Packers through Sunday’s games rank fifth in yards allowed per play, sixth in yards allowed per game and eighth in points allowed. They are one of only four teams to be allowing less than 200 passing yards and less than 101 rushing yards per game.
For as great as Parsons has played, the defense was statistically better last season. It’s almost impossible to believe, but the Packers in 2024 ranked fifth in yards allowed per play, fifth in total defense and sixth in points per game.
While the Packers are allowing about 20 yards per game less this season compared to last year, offensive production is down across the league. The Packers allowed 19.9 points per game this season and are allowing 20.1 points per game this season.
Broncos receiver Courtland Sutton cant make the play against Green Bay Packers defenders Xavier McKinney and Lukas Van Ness. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
There’s a reason why Hafley is considered a prime head coaching candidate for the upcoming cycle. He’s won games with and without an elite pass rusher because of his ability to adjust to the situation on the ground.
Hafley will have to adjust again, though it could be an easy solution of just plopping the 2024 playbook on the table.
“Yeah, it’s going to be tough” to replace Parsons, coach Matt LaFleur said in the immediate aftermath of the 34-26 loss. “It’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be one individual that can do that. I think it’s the collective, it’s everybody playing to the best of their ability.
“And, like I said before, they’re going to have to feed off one another and rally around each other, and it’s going to be opportunities for other guys to get in there, and they’re going to have to be impactful.”
2. Edgerrin Cooper
One of those impactful players is second-year linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Last year, he was part of the solution to the team’s lack of a game-changing defensive linemen. As a second-round pick, he led all rookies as well as all off-the-ball linebackers with 13 tackles for losses in 14 games.
In 14 games this year, Cooper has 105 tackles – 18 more than last season – but only four tackles for losses. One of those was on a fourth-and-1 run on Sunday, which gave the Packers one last chance to score what could have been the game-tying touchdown.
Hafley a few weeks ago said Cooper is playing better this season, “and I don’t even think it’s close.” It’s been more about consistent, steady performance than splash plays, because that’s the role he’s been asked to tackle.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper will be the X-factor the rest of the season on defense. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“He’s a guy that does his job every play,” linebackers coach Sean Duggan said last week. “He knows where he’s supposed to be in the run game, and he does it in a violent, physical manner. I think that’s been incredibly consistent, and maybe that’s not splashy, but sometimes playing linebacker isn’t splashy.”
It’s going to have to be splashy now. Without being able to rely on Parsons to get through multiple blockers to pressure the quarterback, Hafley’s going to have to put his defenders into attack mode. Cooper is by far the biggest threat remaining on the defensive front seven.
3. Jordan Love
Jordan Love was cooking with gas. Before Sunday, he was fourth in the league in passer rating and had thrown 22 touchdowns and four interceptions for the season, including nine touchdowns and one interception during the four-game winning streak.
It was more of the same on Sunday. Facing arguably the NFL’s best pass defense, Love was 17-of-22 passing for 215 yards and one touchdown in leading the Packers to a 16-14 halftime lead. It was the type of performance delivered by MVP candidates.
The Packers extended their lead to 23-14 to open the third quarter, but it all went to hell when Love went deep to Christian Watson to start the next series. The pass was intercepted and Watson was done for the day.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) warms up before a game against the Denver Broncos. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Broncos had the momentum, and Love couldn’t take it back. During the second half, he was a woeful 7-of-18 passing for 61 yards and two interceptions.
So terrific in late-game situations for most of the season, Love got three chances in the fourth quarter when trailing 34-26. On the first, he was intercepted on the second play of the series. On the second, he was 3-of-4 passing for 17 yards but was sacked twice for a loss of 19 yards. On the third, he threw four consecutive incompletions to end the game.
As LaFleur would be quick to point out, it takes all 11. With Denver in front and the Packers forced to throw, the Broncos attacked on defense and the protection faltered. On the interception, Love was pressured up the middle and the pass was thrown behind Wicks. It wasn’t an uncatchable ball, but an on-target strike would have gained about 20 and moved the ball past midfield.
Let’s not get totally bogged down in the fourth quarter, though.
Love is a very good quarterback. If Watson’s injury isn’t serious, if Jayden Reed keeps progressing, if Matthew Golden remains a factor like he was at Denver, if Luke Musgrave can make an impact play like against Denver, if Romeo Doubs remains steady and if Dontayvion Wicks can rekindle his Thanksgiving form, the Packers have a ton of firepower in the passing game. Even playing hurt, Josh Jacobs had a big day against the Broncos.
This is a formidable offense capable of scoring enough points to force opponents to be aggressive. If the defensive backs can make the game-changing plays that slipped through their grasp on Sunday, the Packers are good enough to make some noise in an NFC that’s loaded with quality teams but perhaps lacking a dominant one.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in our team and the guys in that locker room,” Love said. “It’s a tough loss but it’s a good learning opportunity for us. It’s a playoff-caliber game right there against a really good team, so we’ll be able to bounce back. It just comes down to making the plays. I think they made more plays than us tonight.
“Give them credit but I’ve got plenty of confidence in the guys in that locker room that we’ll be able to bounce back from this.”
It all starts with the quarterback. Love has answered every challenge in his path. Now he’ll face another.
He’s good enough to do it.
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To review. Here’s the latest on …
🏈 Micah Parsons: https://t.co/4M2qJZq7MD
🏈 Christian Watson: https://t.co/jpTNb3KXQH
🏈 Evan Williams: https://t.co/ExJ1nntSjS
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 15, 2025More Green Bay Packers News