Packers very nearly traded away one of top playmakers in Micah Parsons blockbuster 1 Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley hugs defensive end Micah Parsons (1) as defensive end Rashan Gary (52) looks on before their game against the Detroit Lions Sunday, September 7, 2025 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Packers new concern emerges after Micah Parsons tears ACL

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Dec 17, 2025 12:24 PM ET

Saturday night’s Green Bay Packers divisional showdown against the Chicago Bears may be one of the most revelatory on the NFL schedule this season.

After losing All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to a torn ACL, the Packers and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley must find a way to scheme additional pressure via the blitz that the All-Pro edge rusher had previously been generating on his way to 12.5 sacks, without necessarily needing to dial up added heat.

However, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been outstanding against the blitz this season, so this chess match between Hafley and the former No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft might determine not just Green Bay’s fate but the course of the NFC North race.

New concern emerges for Packers, without Micah Parsons

How the Packers are able to make up for the loss of Parsons will likely dictate Green Bay’s ceiling this season.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler suggests that the depth along Hafley’s front seven is an area Green Bay should take solace in but suggests a new concern is rising in the frozen tundra.

“How will they close games?” Fowler writes, for ESPN “Luckily for Green Bay, it has quality pass rush depth with Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare and others. And the Packers managed a top-six defense last season without Parsons. But he has been deadly in the fourth quarter with game-sealing playmaking. The Packers must get creative with their personnel to offset his loss.”

Packers new concern emerges after Micah Parsons tears ACL 4 Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) walks off the field with help from medical personnel following an injury during the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

With a healthy Parsons in the lineup, the Packers were just 4-4-1 this season in games decided by one score or fewer, with the All-Pro edge rusher making pivotal plays in key moments to tip the scales in Green Bay’s favor.

Down the stretch of the regular season, and in the playoffs especially, how Green Bay’s depth players along the front seven rise to the moment could swing the outcome of games and determine the Packers’ ceiling this season.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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