When it was over, resoundingly finished, Micah Parsons and Jordan Love caught each other near the center of Lambeau Field. The new Green Bay Packers pass rushing star and the team’s franchise quarterback clasped hands as NFL Films cameras and boom microphones swooped in to capture what could soon be an important piece of NFL history.
“Yes sir, that’s one,” Parsons said to Love.
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Parsons said it again, more loudly.
“That’s one!”
The pertinent question is which one Parsons was referring to.
One dominating win to start the season, via a 27-13 lock down of the Detroit Lions.
One sack for Parsons, who played 30 snaps and hammered his way through the Lions’ offensive line in the fourth quarter and then ran down Detroit’s Jared Goff from behind.
One statement day by a defense that opened the season looking like an elite unit.
And of course, at least one pang of Dallas Cowboys regret, from cornerback Trevon Diggs, who posted on X in the wake of the Parsons sack: “This can’t be real. Wake me up from the dream.”
Micah Parsons brought the heat on Jared Goff and the Lions on Sunday. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
It was absolutely real and likely an indication that “that’s one!” will become a staple phrase shouted against the Packers — if only because offenses will be scanning for Parsons’ No. 1 jersey and making their adjustments accordingly. That should be the takeaway from Green Bay’s win over Detroit, which saw the Packers maul the Lions’ offensive line with stunning regularity. It was a consistent beating that wasn’t just reserved for the new interior components of the line, either. Indeed, Green Bay’s defensive front overwhelmed Detroit repeatedly at the point of attack, with Parsons even outmatching Lions perennial All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell on several occasions.
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There was clearly some swelling anticipation over Parsons getting his first Packers sack, with the Green Bay crowd exploding into a roar when he tracked down Goff late in the fourth quarter.
“I can’t lie, it gave me chills,” Parsons told CBS of his emotions walking out of the Lambeau Field tunnel. “This environment, the first time, how [the fans] embraced me … this was one of one.”
The start itself could be seen as a one of one moment for the post-Aaron Rodgers iteration of the Packers, too. Not only did they beat a Lions team that has become an NFC measuring stick, Green Bay did it with arguably its most dominant two-way performance since trouncing the Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the wild-card round of the 2023 season’s playoffs. Green Bay looked the part of a season-opening Super Bowl favorite, from making Goff look uncomfortable essentially the entire game to bottling up Detroit’s typically potent rushing game, to the Packers’ offense taking control by scoring 17 points on its first three possessions.
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That’s exactly the kind of start Parsons and the Packers sought after a whirlwind 10 days following his trade from the Dallas Cowboys. Something dominant, justifying Green Bay’s sacrifice of two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark — not to mention a record-setting four-year, $188 million contract — to add a Reggie White-esque missing piece to an already talented roster. And for Parsons, to close out the Cowboys soap opera from the summer and send a reminder to Dallas ownership that he’s the kind of piece that you don’t let go.
“Super relieved,” Parsons said, describing his emotions for reporters following the win. “I’m telling you, these last six months were super draining — super toxic for everyone. It’s something that I don’t think no player should have to go through.”
Interestingly, Parsons took a direct shot at the timing of his trade, which came on the doorstep of the regular season and ultimately prevented him from spending important offseason time in another team’s program.
“I think players’ fates should be decided earlier [in the offseason],” Parsons said. “The fact that I was traded a week before the season was really outrageous and rough. It’s something where I could’ve been with these guys getting better and better, and we could have had probably an even more dominant start, if that was the decision we were going to make. I’m just happy that’s behind.”
Now it’s the NFC North and Packers opponents that have to be queasy with what appears to be ahead, particularly offensive lines. They are going to look at the film against the Lions and see a defensive front that could challenge for the league’s best foursome. Anchored not just by Parsons, but his counterpart at defensive end Rashan Gary (who finished with seven tackles and 1 1/2 sacks) and two pressure-producing defensive tackles in Devonte Wyatt and Colby Wooden. And that’s before you get to 2023 first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who will now rotate at defensive end, and second-year outside linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who is already flashing All-Pro potential.
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That group gave fits to Detroit’s offensive line, translating into relentless pressure on Goff for much of Sunday and leading the Lions to shorten much of their passing attack into a scheme that got the ball out as quickly as possible. The result was a litany of check-downs to running backs or intermediate routes, with the tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, plus tight end Sam LaPorta, eating up 23 targets. Perhaps more impressive for the Packers, Green Bay’s front also took away the Lions’ ability to balance out pressure with a pounding running game, holding Montgomery and Gibbs to only 44 yards on 20 carries.
“A lot of people underestimated those young guys that were going to step up with the trade,” Parsons said. “You see D Wyatt and you see Colby and them guys stepping up in the run [defense]. How many times did they rush, and we held them to 50 yards rushing? We got some real dogs up front. That allows me to take my time and really get all the way back. You see Van Ness, you see [defensive tackle Karl Brooks], you see Rashan — I don’t got to be in a rush to get back. This team is so loaded and the sky’s the limit.”
And the number is 1.
If Sunday was any indication, the Packers may have found exactly what they were looking for moving forward.
