As the Packers believed in the aftermath of the non-contact injury, linebacker Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game against the Broncos.
Parsons has posted a message on social media regarding the development.
“I may be sidelined, but I am not defeated,” Parsons said on Twitter. “This injury is my greatest test — a moment God allowed to strengthen my testimony. I believe He walks with me through this storm and chose me for this fight because He knew my heart could carry it. I’m deeply grateful to the Packers organization and my teammates for their unwavering support, love, and belief in me during this season. I trust His timing, His plan, and His purpose. I will rise again.”
The road is never easy for a player who has suffered a torn ACL. It begins with surgery and recovery. It continues with a rigorous rehab process. It requires work, patience, and determination.
Parsons is embracing the challenge. And he’ll surely do everything in his power to be back for 2026.
The injury also underscores the importance of high-level players to insist on contracts that shift the injury risk to the team. If Parsons had torn his ACL while playing under his fifth-year option in Dallas, he would have had no financial security from his contract.
His compensation, if any, would have come from an expensive insurance policy aimed at recovering the loss of value arising from the difference between the contract he could have gotten if healthy and the contract he would have gotten after suffering an injury that will make teams leery about paying market value. Those policies are very expensive, and the insurance companies have a reputation for not being overly eager about paying the money.
The best security comes from a fair contract. Parsons got it from the Packers. Which allows him to focus on getting himself healthy without having to give a moment of thought to his compensation.
Packers Clips
The Packers’ fear has been confirmed.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, an MRI confirmed that star defender Micah Parsons has, in fact, suffered a torn ACL.
He faces a recovery time of at least the next nine months.
Parsons went down on a non-contact play late in the third quarter of Sunday’s eventual loss to the Broncos. Parsons was trying to change directions while chasing quarterback Bo Nix.
Parsons’ injury brings his first season with the Packers to a premature close. In his 14 games with Green Bay this year, Parsons registered 12.5 sacks with 12 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.
The Packers sustained a severe blow on Sunday when Micah Parsons suffered what is believed to be a torn ACL during their 34-26 loss to the Broncos, but it appears they avoided another one on the other side of the ball.
Wide receiver Christian Watson left the game after landing hard on his left side while trying to catch a deep pass from Jordan Love in the third quarter and he was ruled out with a chest injury a short time later. Watson was able to travel back to Green Bay with the team after being evaluated at a Denver hospital.
The specifics of that evaluation haven’t been shared, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Watson avoided a major injury. It’s not clear if that means Watson will be available for Saturday’s road game against the Bears and more information on that front should come from the team on Monday.
Watson had three catches for 29 yards on Sunday and he has 28 catches for 481 yards and five touchdowns on the season.
The Broncos were in need of a momentum-changing play in the third quarter of Sunday’s home game against the Packers and they turned to the 2024 defensive player of the year to provide it.
Cornerback Pat Surtain ran stride for stride with wide receiver Christian Watson down the field and beat Watson to Jordan Love’s deep pass for a critical interception. The Broncos were down nine points at the time, but drove for the first of three touchdowns they’d score to beat the Packers 34-26.
It was the 11th win in a row for a team that is in position to have the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and Surtain said that the win showed what the Broncos are capable of doing once they get to the postseason.
“It means a lot,” Surtain said. “We just kept talking about it the whole week, how big of a game this was. We always say, man, we’re going to play in bigger and bigger games down the road, down the stretch. We’re not a finished product at all, we’ve still got a lot more work to do. And that’s the scary part about it. I just feel like we got a lot more work to do and just correct some things, but, man, this team is going places and I can feel that.”
The Broncos will get another test next Sunday when the 10-4 Jaguars come to Denver to provide Surtain and company another chance to show just how far they can go this season.
While the Packers have likely lost edge rusher Micah Parsons for the rest of the season, they at least got some positive news for their flight home from Denver.
Via multiple reporters, Green Bay noted that receiver Christian Watson will travel back to Green Bay with the team after he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation after suffering a chest injury during the loss to the Broncos.
Watson exited the game in the third quarter after a Jordan Love deep pass intended for him was intercepted by Pat Surtain II.
Watson has played seven games this season after returning from a torn ACL suffered late in 2024. He entered Week 15 with 25 receptions for 452 yards with five touchdowns, adding three catches for 29 yards on Sunday.
PFT reported that the initial diagnosis of Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons’ left knee revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t confirm the bad news after Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the Broncos, but what he did say gives Packers fans no hope of a different diagnosis.
“It doesn’t look good. I’ll leave it at that,” LaFleur said.
Parsons will undergo an MRI on Monday to confirm.
He was injured on a non-contact play with 44 seconds in the third quarter when he tried to change directions while chasing Bo Nix.
Packers receiver Christian Watson was ruled out with a chest injury and transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
LaFleur called it a “double whammy,” losing key players as well as the game.
“You don’t wish that on anybody,” LaFleur said. “It’s obviously tough. We all know what kind of player he is, and the impact he’s had on our football team. To lose someone like that, it’s tough. But no one is going to feel sorry for us. We need to find a way. Guys have to rally around each other.”
The Broncos stand alone at the top of the AFC.
Bo Nix threw four touchdown passes to help the Broncos erase a nine-point deficit in the third quarter and the Broncos defense held tough in the final minute to sew up a 34-26 home win that clinched a playoff spot. It’s the 11th win in a row for the Broncos and they are all alone at the top of the AFC after the Patriots lost to the Bills earlier on Sunday.
Nix had a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, but the Packers got a field goal just before halftime to go into the break with a 16-14 lead. They extended that lead to 23-14 on a 40-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs and forced a Broncos punt, but the game turned on their next offensive play. Jordan Love tried a deep pass to wide receiver Christian Watson, but Broncos corner Pat Surtain snagged it while Watson suffered a chest injury that knocked him out for the rest of the game.
Nix threw his third touchdown a few minutes later and the Broncos went in front for good when Nix hit Troy Franklin for No. 4 on the final play of the third quarter. That came after another major injury for a member of the Packers.
Defensive end Micah Parsons grabbed his left knee after a non-contact injury he suffered while pressuring Nix and the Packers believe that he suffered a torn ACL on the play. If that is confirmed, Parsons will miss the rest of the season and the Packers will have to try to clinch a playoff spot without the player they’ve made the centerpiece of their defense this season.
The loss drops the Packers to 9-4-1 on the year and they fell out of first place in the NFC North. They are currently in the final playoff position in the division, although next Saturday’s game in Chicago offers them an opportunity to switch that back around.
Jordan Love threw for 215 yards in the first half, but was just 7-of-18 for 61 yards in the second half. He also threw another interception in the fourth quarter, so the Packers will be looking for a more complete game from him against the Bears.
Nix was 23-of-34 for 302 yards and wideout Courtland Sutton was on the receiving end seven times for 113 yards and a score. They’ll stay at home for another matchup with a division leader in Week 15 and a win over the Jaguars would make the Broncos 13-game winners for the first time since the 2013 season.
It looks like defensive end Micah Parsons’ first season with the Packers has come to a painful end.
Parsons left Sunday’s game in Denver with a non-contact injury to his left knee and a league source tells PFT that the Packers believe Parsons suffered a torn ACL. An MRI will be done to confirm that diagnosis.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, Parsons will miss the rest of the season and have surgery to repair the injury. The hope would be for him to be back early in the 2026 season, but there’s a lot of steps that need to be taken before anyone will be ready to talk about return dates.
The news comes on the same day that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL, so it has been a rough day on the injury front around the league.
The Packers lost their lead over the Broncos on the final play of the fourth quarter in Denver and they also lost defensive end Micah Parsons a couple of plays earlier.
Parsons grabbed his left knee while trying to chase down Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on a first down pass. Parsons was able to walk off the field with help from members of the training staff and he went to the locker room for further evaluation of the non-contact injury.
The Packers confirmed it is a knee injury and call Parsons questionable to return.
Nix threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game a couple of plays later and the Broncos now lead the Packers 27-23 with 15 minutes left to play.
The Packers tried a deep shot to wide receiver Christian Watson in the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Denver and it wound up going wrong in a couple of ways.
Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain picked off the pass and Watson remained down holding his left side after the play. Watson was eventually helped off the field and stayed on the sideline for a few minutes before going back to the locker room for further evaluation.
The Packers call the wideout questionable to return with a chest injury.
The Broncos moved the ball quickly after the turnover and quarterback Bo Nix connected with wide receiver Courtland Sutton for his third touchdown pass of the afternoon. That cut Green Bay’s lead to 23-21 with 9:07 to play in the third.
