It’s Been How Long Since Micah Parsons Drew Holding Penalty?!?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last week against the Chicago Bears, Enter Sandman played at Lambeau Field as the Green Bay Packers defense walked onto the field to protect a 28-21 lead. It was time for Micah Parsons to be Green Bay’s closer and seal a critical NFC North win.

On the final play before the 2-minute warning, Parsons stormed around the corner. Bears right tackle Darnell Wright wrapped his arm around Parsons’ neck and quarterback Caleb Williams escaped the pocket. As Williams completed a pass that pushed the ball to the brink of the red zone, Parsons kneeled and raised his hands in frustration after holding – once again – was not called.

It was business as usual for Parsons. And the officials.

Green Bay’s Micah Parsons now has rushed the passer 307 times since the last time he got a holding penalty on a pass rush in Week 3, per ESPN’s ace researcher @EpKap. pic.twitter.com/KkAGuII0rq
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 14, 2025

In the NBA, the great players seemingly get all the calls, especially in key moments. In the NFL, Parsons seemingly is punished for his greatness. Parsons is too good, so the blockers are allowed to get away with a little extra to even the playing field.

With officials seemingly turning a blind eye, does Parsons need to do what basketball players do – flop – to get attention?

“No, because you can embellish and still get 20 in basketball,” Parsons said on Friday. “You can embellish and have zero sacks and zero pressures in the National Football League. That’s why I think fans prefer to watch football than basketball, because you actually can play through contact. We’re not flopping. This is a physical sport for a reason, so you’ll never see that out of me.”

But what you will see is frustration. Sunday’s reaction to being hauled down by Wright was one of the first times it showed up on the field.

During the 2-minute timeout, the replay was shown over and over on the Lambeau Field scoreboard as The Beer Barrel Polka played and coach Matt LaFleur complained to the officials.

“I thought that was pretty clear – clear and obvious hold – but I guess I don’t know what that means,” LaFleur said after the game.

Offensively, Green Bay has been flagged for 20 holding penalties. That’s the ninth-most in the league. The Packers have benefited from 14, tied for the fourth-fewest.

“I’m just never on the right end of the stick it seems like,” Parsons said after the game.

Maybe that will change this week. Referee Brad Rogers’ crew has called 36 holding penalties in 12 games. That’s 3.0 per game, or sixth-most. The league median is about 2.6.

Regardless of the chronic holding, Parsons is tied with Denver’s Nik Bonitto for third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. The “Closer” has a league-high eight sacks in the fourth quarter and overtime. According to the official league stats, he’s third with 26 quarterback hits.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) pressures Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to Next Gen Stats, he’s No. 1 with 78 pressures. Since Next Gen Stats began tracking pressures in 2016, his pressure count is the third-most in the league through 13 games behind his 81 in 2023, a number matched last year by Danielle Hunter. He’s first in pressure rate this season at 21.1 percent.

Parsons and Reggie White are the only players with five consecutive 10-sack seasons to start his career, and he’s the only player to start his career with five consecutive 12-sack seasons.

“It’s honestly a blessing,” Parsons said on Friday. “I’ve been compared to Reggie, the LT’s (Lawrence Taylors), the Derrick Brooks – pretty much any of the greatest players you can think of – and it’s just always a reminder that I got to find a way to keep creating my own name, my own dynasty and making my own path.

“Obviously, you take the blessings, the good with the good and the bad with the bad, but, at some point, you want to separate and be like, ‘OK, he made his stamp, his legacy here, too,’ so that way the next person that maybe gets traded or come here, they’ll be the next Micah and that’ll be the comparison, so I think that’s always the goal.”

White and Parsons win in far different ways, obviously. White was a big powerhouse with freakish athleticism for his size. Parsons isn’t nearly as big but he’s a full-throttle player with elite athleticism.

“Some of it’s God-given and some of it’s just anticipation, and I would just say it comes down to who’s going to throw the first punch,” Parsons said. “I look at it like a boxing match when I’m with these guys. Are they going to throw their hands? Are they going to let me punch them? How are we going to play this game today?

“But I always got to come forward, and I think that’s what makes me different. I’m might be shorter. I’m not as big as Reggie. I’m not as big as the J.J. Watts or the T.J. Watts or Myles Garretts of this league, but I’m always coming forward. I’m never looking to go around.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton called Parsons a “rare-type player” because of his explosiveness, “unique bend” and ability to rush the passer from any spot on the defense.

“I know it’s going to be a lot for us,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said. “It’s going to be something that we really have to key and we really have to control. He’s one of the best players in the league for a reason. He’s going to make his plays. We just have to limit those plays, and that will make him game-changing. So, he’s a great player and he’s backed by a great defense. We definitely got our work cut out for us.”

So will Parsons.

The Broncos have an elite left tackle in Garrett Bolles. According to Next Gen Stats, he’s No. 1 among offensive tackles in pressure rate allowed. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey is No. 4. Center Luke Wattenberg has not allowed a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

Bolles and guard Quinn Meinerz, a first-team All-Pro last season, have been flagged once for holding. Wattenberg and McGlinchey have been guilty of two.

Denver’s starting five has been charged with four sacks and only 10 penalties, so this could be a difficult game for Parsons to get a rare call from the officials.

“There’s some strategy but the one thing that’s different between chess and the game is you know what your pawns and your knights and your queens and your rooks can do,” Parsons said. “It’s hard when you’ve got a queen that can go everywhere, so this ain’t that. You can control this one.

“I don’t got to worry about a pawn slowing me down if I want to capture a pawn because it could take my queen. None of your pawns are taking me. This is real life. Strategy is strategy, and strategy’s good until you get punched. That’s always been my motto.”

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