The Green Bay Packers suffered a tremendous blow Sunday in Denver when edge rusher Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL. That means that the star pass rusher will be out at least nine months as he rehabs from the surgical procedure to repair the injury. Parsons was the centerpiece of the Packers defense, and his loss will have a ripple effect on the team. But that is not to say the team should just give up on the season. While the Packers cannot fully replace Parsons’ loss, there are things they can do to remain competitive and win football games. Here are five things the Packers can do to try to mitigate the loss of Micah Parsons.
Five Things the Packers Can Do to Mitigate the Loss of Micah Parsons, Number One: Defensive Line Must Step Up
Obviously, without Parsons, their top pass rusher, other players along the defensive line, will have to step up to generate pass rush. Rashan Gary moves from the second pass rusher on the roster to the top spot. That was the role he had last season. He doesn’t quite add the juice that Parsons does, but Gary has proven to be a capable pass rusher earlier in his career.
The Packers also got back former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness against the Broncos. Van Ness has missed significant time this season due to injuries. Having LVN step up and provide more pressure on opposing quarterbacks either from the interior or off the edge would help.
Kingsley Enagbare will also see an increased role and have more opportunities to rush the passer. The Packers will also likely active either Brenton Cox, Jr. or Collin Oliver who are in their 21-day window to practice with the team, if they are healthy enough to return to the active roster. Cox finished last season strong as a situational pass rusher while Oliver is a fifth-round pick this year who has spent the season on PUP list.
Number Two: Create Blitz Packages
With the addition of Parsons, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was able to rush the passer using four players. Last season, without Parsons, Hafley had to use various blitz packages to get to the quarterback. Now with his star pass rusher unavailable for the rest of this season, Hafley will likely return to more frequent blitzes.
The Packers are fortunate to have two speedy linebackers who can get to the quarterback. Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker. Walker had 2.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons while Cooper recorded 3.5 sacks as a rookie while playing just 55 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
With Parsons on the team, Cooper and Walker have been blitzing less frequently. Look for both off-ball linebackers to be utilized in blitz packages more often. Safeties and slot corners could also be blitzing more frequently in Parsons’ absence.
Five Things the Packers Can Do to Mitigate the Loss of Micah Parsons, Number Three: The Secondary Will Have to Step Up
The addition of Parsons changed things for the Green Bay secondary. Because they knew the pass rush would keep opposing quarterbacks from throwing deep downfield, they defensive backs could concentrate on defending short passes. Keisean Nixon, for example, has broken up 16 passes this season through 14 games. His previous career high was seven.
Hafley may have to do more to disguise coverages and to protect a cornerback group that lacks an elite cover corner. The Packers will likely be more susceptible to long passes and splash plays as a result of the loss of Parsons and Hafley will have to adjust accordingly.
Nixon, Carrington Valentine, and Nate Hobbs will have to change their approach and raise their level of play for the rest of the season.
Number Four: Create More Turnovers
Last season without Parsons, the Packers were fourth in the NFL with 31 takeaways. This year, through 14 games, the Packers rank 25th in the league with just 13 turnovers created. Logic dictates that when the pass rush improves, the result will be more interceptions and turnovers. But this season, for the Packers at least, the opposite has been the case.
If the Packers can go on a hot streak and take the ball away more frequently in the final three games of the regular season, they can increase their chances of winning more games.
Five Things the Packers Can Do to Mitigate the Loss of Micah Parsons, Number Five: The Offense Will Have to Step Up
With the defense lacking their best player, the offense will have to step up and score more points. Whether they do this by running the ball more with Josh Jacobs to try to control the clock and keeping the defense rested, or they open up the offense and let Jordan Love throw the ball more often.
Regardless of how Matt LaFleur decides to go about it, the offense will have to put more points on the board to compensate for the impact of Parsons’ absence on defense.
If the Packers can accomplish most of these goals, they have a chance to clinch a playoff berth and maybe to win some games once they get there. In one moment on Sunday, everything changed for the Packers. Now we’ll see if they can adapt and find ways to win without their best defensive player.
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