Photo by Madison Morris - packers.com
Micah Parsons
This is why you trade for Micah Parsons when you have the opportunity to trade for Micah Parsons. Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff one of the best in the league and has consistently been among the elite in his post-Rams career with Detroit, however, when pressured his performance declines more than almost any other quarterback in football. For his tenure with the Lions this hasn’t been a major problem as they employ Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, two of the best tackles in the league, but on Sunday, Micah Parsons made Sewell look like second string rookie.
Parsons’ dominance had a cascading effect on the rest of the pass rush, as the Packers were consistently in Goff’s face with Parsons on the field. When Parsons was out, Goff averaged 3.36 seconds to throw the ball. When Parsons played, that number cratered to 2.8 seconds. It may not seem like much, but a half second is an eternity for a quarterback progressing through his targets.
When the Cowboys dealt Parsons to the Packers for two first round picks and nose tackle Kenny Clark, they made some noise about their run defense needing to improve, and implied that Parsons was a problem there. On Sunday, against one of the league’s premiere rushing attacks featuring Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, the Packer defense hit the Lions’ running backs at or behind the line of scrimmage on 16 of 22 carries (72.7%), the highest rate the Detroit has ever allowed under head coach Dan Campbell.
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Dominant Defense
Overall Green Bay held Detroit to just 246 total yards, sacked Goff four times, and picked him off once. Parsons transformed what was a good, if flawed defense from a year ago into a unit that had one of the most dominant defensive performances the franchise has seen in decades. And this wasn’t against an average offense, as the Lions went 15-2 last year while scoring the most points in the league (564). The most impressive part of the performance may be that Parsons was on a limited snap count as he rounds himself into form after missing most of training camp. Just think what this defense will look like once he’s fully up to speed.
The Packer offense did their part as well, as Jordan Love finished an efficient, if low volume day having completed 16 of 22 passes for 188 and two scores. The Lions seemed determined not to let Josh Jacobs and the running game beat them and held the Packer rushing attack to just 78 total yards, but Love took advantage of those heavy defensive sets, with huge gains to Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed, and an absolute bullet to tight end Tucker Kraft for the game’s first touchdown.
The Lions never really threatened, and as the Packers enjoyed a multi-score lead for the entire second half, they were more than happy to run clock and rely on their defense to keep Detroit in check. Josh Jacobs finally got going on a fourth quarter drive that took five minutes off the clock and culminated in his first rushing touchdown of the season from three yards out, essentially ending the game. If this game is any indication, mounting a comeback against the Packers is going to be a nightmare for opponents this year.
On-Field Fix
Entering the season, the single biggest hole on the team was at edge rusher as the Packers were in the bottom quarter of the league in generating pressure without blitzing. The Parsons trade solved this issue, but it was bigger than a simple on-field schematic fix. When the Packers acquired Hall of Famers Reggie White and Charles Woodson, they were already in their 30s. Parsons just turned 26, and while he has a long career in front of him, his production so far is on par with those generational talents.
Lambeau had some extra juice during introductions, the crowd was electric, and the defense exceeded all reasonable expectations. The Packers don’t go to this well often, but when they do it’s often a franchise-altering moment. It’s only one game, and the NFL can shift on a dime, but it looks like history may be repeating itself.
The Packers have a short week as they face the Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Lambeau. Washington, like Detroit, is expected to be a Super Bowl contender after a surprise turnaround last season in which they knocked the Lions out of the playoffs before falling to the Eagles in the conference championship game. If Green Bay can start 2-0 against this level of competition, they should be considered the NFC’s top contender.
