The Green Bay Packers took a lot of heat from fans for the vast majority of this past NFL offseason for failing to improve the team's pass-rushing attack.
After failing to sign anyone of genuine consequence in free agency, the Packers had a chance to add some help in the early rounds of April's draft but opted to use their first three picks on the offensive side of the ball, selecting wideout Matthew Golden in Round 1, offensive tackle Anthony Belton in Round 2, and wideout Savion Williams in Round 3 before finally going the defensive route in Round 4, taking Texas defensive end Barryn Sorrell with the 124th overall pick.
Now, the Packers' pass rush wasn't as bad in 2024 as some made it out to be, as Green Bay tied for eighth in the league in sacks with 45. But sacks, while obviously important, aren't everything. Total pressures matter, whether it be a sack, a QB hit, or even a hurry.
Yes, a sack is typically the goal when pressuring the quarterback, but hits and hurries obviously create disruption as well and can lead to throwaways and interceptions. The Packers weren't ranked quite as high in total pressures a season ago, barely cracking the top half at 14th with 295.
Of course, everything changed for the Packers in late August when GM Brian Gutekunst made the biggest of moves to improve the team's pass-rush attack by swindling the Dallas Cowboys to acquire Micah Parsons. A generational talent like Parsons is obviously going to make any defense better, but he's taken an already-strong unit to an entirely different level.
The numbers prove the impact Micah Parsons has made on Packers' defense
From an individual standpoint, Rashan Gary led all Packers defenders in total pressures a season ago with 47, with Kenny Clark, who was shipped to Dallas in the Parsons trade, in a distant second with 33. Through Green Bay's first six games of this 2025 campaign, Parsons already has 37, thus putting him on pace for 105.
And just his mere presence, which forces opposing offensive lines to double- and even triple-team him at times, is opening up more opportunities for everyone else. As just mentioned, Gary led Green Bay last year with 47 pressures. This season, he's already racked up 21, thus putting him on pace for about 60.
RELATED: David Bakhtiari just said quiet part out loud about Aaron Rodgers' revenge on Packers
From a team standpoint, the Packers currently rank ninth in the NFL in total pressures with 139. But that's a bit misleading, as every single one of the eight teams ahead of them has played seven games, while Green Bay has only played six.
Averaged out, the Packers actually rank fourth in the NFL in this department at 23.2 per game, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks (24.6), Denver Broncos (24.3), and Los Angeles Rams (23.3).
And this is with Devonte Wyatt missing the better part of three games after suffering a knee injury very early in the Packers' Week 4 tie with the Cowboys, and Lukas Van Ness sitting out this past Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals with a foot injury. So, things will be even stronger soon enough.
As mentioned, the Packers recorded 295 total pressures in 2024. This season, they're on pace for 394. That's the Micah Parsons effect, ladies and gentlemen.