Green Bay was leading, 23-21, at the time of Parsons’ departure, though Denver was driving. Two snaps later, the Broncos scored on a 23-yard touchdown strike to wideout Troy Franklin. They attempted and failed a two-point conversion, but opened up a 27-23 lead they would not relinquish the rest of the the way.
Parsons had two tackles, a pass deflection and a forced fumble before getting hurt. He was just one of a number of injured Packers, the other major difference-maker being Christian Watson, who suffered a chest injury earlier in the third quarter after losing out on a deep ball to Patrick Surtain II and getting landed on by the cornerback amid a brilliant interception.
LaFleur said he did not have an update on Watson.
The Packers lacked punch on both sides of the ball as key players dropped out of the contest, and in turn lost to drop to the No. 7 seed in the NFC. They still own a playoff probability of 88%, but the road to clinching — and doing something once they have — just became far tougher.
“It’s obviously tough,” LaFleur said regarding Parsons’ injury. “We all know what type of player he is and the impact he’s had on our football team. And to lose somebody like that, it’s tough. Nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us. We’ve got to find a way. Guys have got to rally around one another.”
Parsons is who catapulted Green Bay into favorite territory for the Super Bowl when the team traded for the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher in a mega-deal with the Cowboys at the end of August.
He has been every bit as advertised. Parsons entered Week 15 with a team-leading 12.5 sacks and 26 quarterback hits, and his ability to find pressure even when chipped or double-teamed — which is often — created opportunities for everyone else on the defense.
Parsons must now begin rehabbing for 2026, and the rest of the Packers must band together to accomplish without him what they originally set off to do together.
The first step in doing so will be taking on the Bears, who leapfrogged Green Bay back into the NFC North lead and are set to host the Packers on Saturday, Dec. 20.
“We’ve got a connected team,” LaFleur said. “I know how our guys will respond. We’ve got a great test coming up going to Chicago, a game that went down to the wire last time we played. Obviously, they rolled today, so it’s to go back on top of the division. I know we’re going to get their best, and they’re gonna get our best.”
