Micah Parsons had quite a debut for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The All-Pro edge rusher's new team beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 and he made big contributions to the win. A day later, we now have data that proves his impact was even larger than it looked.
Parsons provided relentless pressure all afternoon, including a rush that helped lead to a turnover, and his first sack in a Packers uniform. But ESPN's Dan Orlovsky has provided a few stats that prove his individual stats aren't the only thing that matters.
Orlovsky tweeted that on the 29 snaps Parsons played, the Packers sacked Jared Goff three times and only allowed 2.4 yards per play. The biggest play Green Bay gave up with their new superstar in the game went for 16 yards. The Lions averaged 3.8 yards per play overall, and the Packers only had four sacks, so it's clear Parsons made a difference when he was on the field.
Perhaps even more impressive, the 26-year-old made Lions All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell look pedestrian at best all day.
In 2024, Sewell received an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 87.5, which ranked fourth among the 140 NFL tackles who qualified. For Week 1, PFF gave him an overall grade of 54.6, which ranks 27th among the 36 tackles who played. Even worse, his pass blocking grade was a dismal 49.9, which ranked 28th.
Conversely, Parsons received an overall grade of 83.8, which ranked fourth among 56 edge rushers, and his pass rush grade of 82.4, which ranked third. He decisively won the first round of his new rivalry with Sewell.
Packers Trade for Parsons Paying Off
On August 28, the Packers sent defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Parsons. Then they signed him to a four-year, $188 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The deal already looks like a great one.
In his four NFL seasons, all with the Cowboys, Parsons racked up 52.5 sacks in 63 games and has never produced fewer than 12 sacks in a season. That 12-sack campaign came in 2024 when he only played 13 games due to a high ankle sprain. Green Bay will have one of the NFL's most impactful defenders for his prime years.
It only took one week for Parsons to look at home with the Packers. His impact is already apparent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Micah Parsons’s Packers Debut Was Even Better Than It Looked.