Eagles erase Micah Parsons during win at Packers, edge rusher says 'no panic, no stress' for Green Bay
Philadelphia nearly made the best defensive player on the field invisible on 'Monday Night Football'
•
2 min read
The Eagles frustrated Packers star Micah Parsons throughout Monday night's 10-7 win, Green Bay's second straight home loss for the first time since the 2022 season. By midway through the fourth quarter, the prized offseason trade acquisition for the Packers had one tackle and no pressures off the edge as Philadelphia stymied Green Bay's pass rush throughout.
Parsons, who has 6.5 sacks in nine games this season, with three of those coming on Oct. 19 at Arizona, was held in check by an offensive front that didn't give up a sack and played its best in the fourth quarter during a brief scoring drive resulting in consecutive explosive plays and a commanding 10-point lead.
"I wouldn't panic at all," Parsons said after another loss following the Packers' 5-1-1 start. "The way we just played, we're going to win a lot of football games. So there should be a lot … and this is considered of one of the best offenses in the National Football League. So I would not panic, I wouldn't stress, we're going to win football games, I promise you."
Parsons finished with two tackles, one coming on a trip of Saquon Barkley in the fourth quarter that wasn't flagged. Barkley only managed 60 yards rushing on 22 carries, but had a 41-yard reception down the stretch that was followed by Philadelphia's lone touchdown on the ensuring play -- DeVonta Smith's 36-yard leaping catch in the end zone from Jalen Hurts.
Green Bay answered with its only touchdown drive to cut the deficit to three points at 10-7 with 5:49 remaining, but fumbled on its next possession and missed a 64-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.
"It's just one of them things like, we gonna win together and we're gonna lose together, regardless of the outcome," Parsons said. "Being there for our teammates, regardless of who's playing better, which side (of the football) is playing better. When everyone gets rolling, we'll be a really good team."
Holding the Eagles to 3.3 yards per carry was part of the gameplan for the Packers, a week after Carolina's Rico Dowdle galloped his way to 130 yards and two touchdowns.
However, for the second straight game, the Packers' offense failed to deliver.
"We stepped up (on defense), we hopped back into our adjustment and this was a better offensive line than last weekend," Parsons said. "We made our adjustments and said we wasn't going to lose in that way again. I think that was an important adjustment and I'm happy we got better in that aspect."
NFC North significance for Packers
Packers coach Matt LaFleur called the loss a "four-quarter fistfight" after his team dropped to third place in the NFC North, behind the Lions and Bears. The playoff picture has shifted in two short weeks for Green Bay, who had the conference's best record through Week 8 before now falling to the No. 7 seed if the season ended today.
The lack of big plays, giveaways on offense and missed opportunities are to blame for the Packers' recent spell. And Parsons hasn't had a sack since the road win over the Steelers on Oct. 25.
"To the fans, they should have hope," Parsons said. "It would be different if we're getting blown out in fashions, of like, we're in despair. Like, we can't win these type of games ... we're very capable of winning these games. We're just not playing to the level that we've set for each other. We're beating ourselves in fundamentals and technique."
