With a 28-21 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 14 of this past season, the Green Bay Packers improved to 9-3-1 on the year and took over first place from their longtime rivals in the NFC North. But as every Cheesehead well knows, that was as good as things got for the Green & Gold.
In Week 15, not only did the Packers lose to the Denver Broncos, but they also lost all-world edge rusher Micah Parsons to a torn left ACL. And there was no more winning whatsoever to be had, as Green Bay dropped every game to close out the regular season and then took a disheartening defeat in the Wild Card Round to the Bears, blowing a 15-point lead over the final 15 minutes en route to a 31-27 loss.
It's safe to say that most Packers fans believe things would have gone differently in the playoffs had Parsons been on the field, and when specifically asked the question during a recent interview with Action Network's DJ Siddiqi, Micah himself confirmed that he pretty much believes that as well.
"I like to believe so," said Parsons. "It's easy to say that, and kind of have controversy over if so and so played, I think my team could have won, regardless if I was out there or not. But I definitely feel like we could have won. I won when I was in Green Bay, so I don't see why I can't pull out another one out of two of those games. Besides, I always have a rule that if my quarterback puts up 21 points, you're probably gonna win the football game."
The Packers likely win the NFC North if Micah Parsons doesn't get injured
The "one out of two of those games" comment, of course, refers to the Week 16 loss to Chicago in which Green Bay blew a 10-point lead in the final five minutes of regulation before taking a 22-16 loss in overtime.
There's no guarantee the Packers win either of those games with Parsons on the field, but the likelihood obviously improves. And let's face it. One would assume Green Bay doesn't lose four straight to close out the regular season if Micah doesn't go down. Even the Denver game comes into question, as the Packers held a lead when Parsons was injured in the third quarter.
So, even if the Packers win only two of those final four, including the one against the Bears, they win the NFC North and don't have to go on the road as the No. 7 seed. But what's done is done, and Green Bay just now has to hope Parsons' rehab goes as planned, so he doesn't miss much (if any) of the 2026 campaign. And the Penn State alum says he's right where he needs to be in that process.
Despite missing those final few games, Parsons still tallied 12.5 sacks in his 14 appearances to earn a fifth straight Pro Bowl selection, a third First-Team All-Pro nod, and a third-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. Yeah, a guy like that tends to make a difference.
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