Just like that, everything the Green Bay Packers worked towards has gone up in smoke. They entered Week 15 with realistic Super Bowl hopes, and edged ahead in a heavyweight battle with the Denver Broncos early in the third quarter, but then everything fell apart.
Micah Parsons' season-ending injury realistically crushed the Packers' championship dreams. Rashan Gary won't give up, but he couldn't hide how much losing Parsons will hurt this team.
"He will be missed on this defense. You all know his impact," Gary said, via The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. "In his absence, we've got to step up for him."
"I told him to keep his head up and we're gonna finish strong for him. 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."
Rashan Gary delivers a heartbreaking reaction to losing Micah Parsons to season-ending injury
Gary said all the right things. The Packers will keep fighting, as we saw late in the game. They produced a fourth-down stop late on to give Green Bay an outside chance to tie the game, although other injuries on offense made that difficult.
But listening to Gary made it clear just how tough the injury to Parsons truly is. He has been everything to this defense.
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And not just for his 12.5 sacks or relentless pressure, but also how he creates opportunities for his teammates. Opponents built their game plans around Parsons, which opened one-on-one matchups for the other linemen, including Gary.
Now, it's Gary who resumes his previous role as the Packers' premier edge defender. But he no longer has Parsons by his side. Or Devonte Wyatt. Or Kenny Clark. Injuries have decimated this Green Bay defense, and it spells doom for the team's Super Bowl dreams.
Along with losing Parsons, the Packers were also hit with several other concerning injuries on both sides of the ball. Christian Watson had to leave the stadium in an ambulance to get further testing on a chest injury that forced him out of the game. The Packers also lost right tackle Zach Tom and safety Evan Williams to knee injuries.
You could hear the emotion in Matt LaFleur's press conference, and the same was true for Gary. It's a heartbreaking turning point in this Packers season. They will keep pushing, but now face an impossible task.
Gary put it best. The Packers can no longer win with Parsons. They now have to win for him.