Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons did not record any sacks in the Packers game against the Bears last Sunday. He generated seven pressures on Caleb Williams in the game, and he prevented Williams from getting past him to scramble for big gains. But anybody who watched the game saw some blatant incidents of holding and not once was a penalty called against the Bears. But Micah Parsons and the Packers coaches know he won’t get the holding calls he deserves.
Packers DE Micah Parsons Won’t Get the Holding Calls He Deserves: The Season So Far
The Packers acquired Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys in a major trade before the start of the 2025 season. GM Brian Gutekunst traded two first-round draft choices and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys to acquire the perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher.
Parsons has played very well for the Packers. He’s recorded 12.5 sacks and gets consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. His presence has had a large impact on the defense. The double teams Parsons draws have helped teammates create pressure on the quarterback.
The pressure generated by Parsons and the overall pass rush has also helped the Packers secondary this season. The defensive backs know they don’t need to cover opposing receivers as long because opposing quarterbacks won’t have enough time to hold the ball and throw deep. An example of this is Keisean Nixon who presently has 16 passes broken up through 13 games. He’s never had more than seven in a season before this year.
The Fallout from the Bears Game
Parsons experienced difficulty with obvious holding calls in the game with the Bears. The most flagrant example came late in the game. With the Bears driving for what they hoped was the tying score just before the two-minute warning, Parsons came off the edge to pressure Williams. Chicago’s right tackle, Darnell Wright not only held Parsons but wrapped his arm around the defenders neck. No call was made on the play.
After the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was clearly upset by the non-call. “I’m not going to get into what we were talking about,” LaFleur said of the discussion he had with the officials during the next timeout. “You know, officials – I don’t think that their jobs are easy by any stretch. I think it is a difficult job, but I guess I don’t know what holding is anymore because I thought that was a pretty clear and obvious hold. But I guess I don’t know what that means.”
This was not the first time obvious holding calls have not been flagged by referees this season. It has happened nearly every game. In the NFL as in most sports, star players usually get the benefit of the doubt on calls. But because Parsons is a defensive player, and the powers that be in the NFL favor high-scoring, offensive games, they are less likely to give Parsons and other defensive stars that kind of treatment.
Packers DE Micah Parsons Won’t Get the Holding Calls He Deserves: Looking Ahead
Parsons has gotten used to this kind of treatment, both from opposing offensive linemen and from the officials. “I’m immune,” he said. “I just got to keep fighting through. I mean, that’s been the definition of my career. The rulebook is they got to be in the chest area, and I’m just not getting grabbed in the chest area.”
Like Parsons, LaFleur feels the team just needs to keep working. “I guess, I don’t know. I thought there was one that certainly was questionable, to say the least,” LaFleur explained. “But apparently the officials disagreed. So, it is what it is, and we’ve just got to continue to strain and fight and try to get to the quarterback.”
Who knows, maybe comments like this will help the Packers get a makeup call on a play going forward. But the bottom line is, both Parsons and the team know they cannot rely on the officials to call holding consistently, and they have to find a way to overcome it and get pressure on the quarterback regardless.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage
Check out our YouTube channel here
