GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Broncos in Denver was devastating for the Green Bay Packers. Not the defeat itself, which dropped the Packers to 9-4-1 and behind the Chicago Bears in the NFC North Division.
The Packers also lost some key players to injuries. None more important than Micah Parsons. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur would only say “it doesn’t look good.” One national report right after the game said it was a torn ACL, which would sideline Parsons for the rest of this season and into next season.
I was in Green Bay the day the Packers acquired Parsons from the Cowboys in late August. It was like an electric jolt went through the fan base. The Packers’ Super Bowl hopes were turbo-charged.
Once he got on the field, Parsons lived up to the hype. He was a difference-maker for the Packers’ defense. The incredible speed he showed in relentless pursuit of quarterbacks was unlike anything I’d ever seen.
So that’s why the Parsons’ injury on Sunday hit so hard.
It’s not up to me to say the Packers can’t make the Super Bowl without Parsons. That will play out over the next two months. It is safe to say the Packers’ road to Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara just got tougher. Much tougher.