X’s and O’s with LeRoy Butler: Breaking down Bears’ last gasp vs Packers
LeRoy Butler breaks down the Packers’ final defensive play against the Bears and explains why cornerback Keisean Nixon’s interception was so amazing.
GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers star edge rusher Micah Parsons is on pace to having one of the best seasons of his five-year career.
With 12.5 sacks so far this season, Parsons is just 1.5 sacks away from his career-high in a regular season. He reached 14 sacks in 2023 when he was with the Dallas Cowboys.
With that in mind, we asked our PackersNews team the question of the week:
How many sacks do you think Micah Parsons will finish the regular season with?
Tom Silverstein: He’s bound to get a handful over the four games, so I would suspect he’ll surpass his career high of 14 − but just barely. He does have a challenge in Weeks 16 and 17. Chicago’s Caleb Williams proved almost impossible to sack and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is going to force the Packers to rush more carefully. He might be able to make some hay in Minnesota against J.J. McCarthy. But he’s such a marked man that the Packers should be thrilled he’s harassing quarterbacks the way he is.
Ryan Wood: To me, the number in play is 15. It would be one more than his previous career high of 14 in 2023 and potentially enough to finish second in the league, behind only Myles Garrett. It’s so hard to predict whether he will or won’t reach that number, because Parsons could get the 2.5 sacks he needs this week in Denver. He’s already had 2.5 sacks in a game twice this season. He also had no sacks against the Bears in his first game without rushing alongside defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, the one player on the Packers defense who made Parsons better. When you look at the next four quarterbacks the Packers will face, Chicago’s Caleb Williams doesn’t give up many sacks. Denver’s Bo Nix, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy do. So I think there are at least 2.5 sacks for Parsons to find in these next four games. If there are, Parsons would be the first Packers pass rusher to hit that number in a season since Aaron Kampman in 2006.
Dominique Yates: With four games left on the schedule, it’s not difficult for me to think Micah Parsons will get 1.5 more sacks to tie his personal record, but it won’t come easy. With a dominant player like him, teams have done a lot more running the ball and quick passes to try to make sure Parsons is not a factor. However, we’ve witnessed how Parsons doesn’t stop. He played in 87% of the snaps against the Bears and he chased and disrupted Caleb Williams all game long. Because of his motor alone, I feel he’ll get at least three more sacks to finish with 15.5.
