Final Decision Made on Micah Parsons Injury

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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – DECEMBER 07: Micah Parsons #1 of the Green Bay Packers leaves the field after defeating the Chicago Bears 28-21 at Lambeau Field on December 07, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

NFL insider Ian Rapaport has confirmed that Green Bay Packers’ star pass rusher Micah Parsons has suffered a torn ACL and that his season is officially over. Parsons now faces what will likely be a nine-month recovery, which may limit his start to the 2026 season.

Parsons suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, which Green Bay lost 34-26.

Parsons was rushing Broncos’ QB Bo Nix, attempting to swat his pass out of mid-air. He made an attempt to push off of his left leg to reach towards Nix, but came down awkwardly, as his left knee inverted towards his right leg.

Parsons was seen mouthing the words “I’m out” as trainers rushed onto the field to provide medical attention to him.

This update on Parsons ACL officially ends what was an outstanding season for him personally. He had registered 12.5 sacks, and would have needed just two more in the final three games to beat his career best 14, which came in 2023.

Parsons Injury Leaves Massive Void For Packers

Despite Green Bay’s loss to the AFC leading Broncos on Sunday, the Packers are still sitting in the playoff picture, though they have fallen all the way down to the final wild card slot at 9-4-1.

With Parsons officially done for the season, the Green Bay pass rush will be led by seven year veteran Rashan Gary, who has 7.5 sacks this season, second most on the team behind Parsons’ 12.5. Behind Gary, Devonte Wyatt and Kingsley Enagbare have combined for six sacks.

Although the rest of the defensive line is still formidable, losing Parsons significantly hurts Green Bay’s defense. Parsons is a true game breaker, and is absolutely irreplaceable. His impact in the final three games and into the playoffs would have been massive.

Parsons was of course traded to Green Bay ahead of the 2025 season, as the Packers sent Kenny Clark and two first-rounders to Dallas for the three-time All-Pro. Despite his season ending early, most would still consider the trade to be an absolute win for Green Bay, as Dallas has fallen to the cusp of elimination while the Packers are likely playoff bound.

Packers Updated Playoff Chances Following Loss To Denver

Green Bay still has a 91 percent chance to make the NFL playoffs following the loss to Denver on Sunday. At 9-4-1, their biggest enemies remain their NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions.

Detroit’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams this weekend was hugely helpful for the Packers. Had the Lions won that game, they would be 9-5, only behind Green Bay by half a game by virtue of their tie with Dallas.

Green Bay has two avenues to the postseason; the wild card path, or the division path. The Packers are trailing the Bears by just half a game, and play Chicago in what will be one of the best games of week 16. A win in that game gives them a 76 percent chance to win the NFC North.

As far as the wild card goes, they need Detroit to continue to falter. It would also be helpful for the 49ers and Seahawks to lose a game or two, which could help seeding if they’re not able to overtake the Bears atop the division.

Matt Skillings Matt Skillings is a Boston based sports journalist and a graduate of UMass Amherst, where he majored in journalism and communication. Matt covered the UMass men’s ice hockey team for three years for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. He was also a media intern for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League for two summers. Matt has additional bylines with the New England Hockey Journal, the Boston Globe and MassLive. More about Matt Skillings