Micah Parsons Plays Like Monster as Packers Crush Commanders

Whether it was Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil or first-round pick Josh Conerly, Micah Parsons put his stamp on the game again as the Packers beat the Commanders on Thursday.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) reacts after making a play against the Commander on Thursday. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – New Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons has a way with words.

On Tuesday, two days before the Packers beat up on Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders 27-18 at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, Parsons was talking about how he likes to move around the defensive line.

“Best-on-best is always good and it’s always good for the fans because y’all like to see the King Kong-Godzilla matchups and those is great,” Parsons said, “but, at the end, sometimes you like to see the pups too, see if they can come off the porch.”

If Parsons is King Kong, five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil is Godzilla and rookie right tackle Josh Conerly is the pup.

Either way, Parsons was a monster. A fire-breathing, destroy-everything-in-his-path monster.

The official stats show Parsons had a half-sack, two assisted tackles and three quarterback hits. According to Next Gen Stats, though, Parsons played 37 pass-rushing snaps. He had eight pressures. Going up against Tunsil and Conerly 16 times apiece, Parsons had three pressures against each. On the sack, he was held by Conerly but still joined Edgerrin Cooper in taking down Jayden Daniels.

Dude is an alien. There are only so many aliens. pic.twitter.com/TTEbDUsu82

— Robert Mays (@robertmays) September 12, 2025

After the game, with Parsons ready to talk to the broadcast crew, the fans chanted “Thank you, Jerry,” referencing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who failed to sign Parsons to a contract extension and traded him to Green Bay.

"Thank You Jerry!"

These @packers fans are glad to have Micah Parsons on their team! 🗣️#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/fkUqR0MRgo

— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 12, 2025

“That’s what they’re looking for,” Parsons said. “The game’s on the line, it’s fourth down, that’s what they brought me here to try to go win the game, get pressure on the quarterback. I got to win those matchups. That’s why they brought me here, that’s why they gave me what they gave me.

“I’ve just got to keep showing what I’m capable of because I understand the stakes are high, I understand the pressure and I just live for it.”

Micah Parsons doing Micah Parsons things 😤 pic.twitter.com/nHvlIHNx8p

— NFL (@NFL) September 12, 2025

In one of the craziest two weeks imaginable, Parsons was traded by the Dallas Cowboys – the team that drafted him in the first round in 2021 and the team for which he recorded 52.5 sacks in four seasons – signed a record-setting contract with the Packers and elevated a good team into a potential championship team.

“Man, I’m just happy I’m here,” Parsons said. “I’m just happy we’re winning and I’m just happy to be around this group of guys.”

His teammates are just as happy.

Asked about the defense’s swagger, Keisean Nixon replied: “Yeah, we got Micah Parsons.”

Micah Parsons getting parallel with Josh Conerly Jr before his first drop-step off the line pic.twitter.com/KfEYwOIvMs

— Football Digest (@FoootballDigest) September 12, 2025

Sacks and swagger. Mayhem and mentality. It took Parsons merely five days to put his stamp on the franchise that placed an all-in bet on him.

“Teams are going to be like, this is going to be a heavyweight fight,” Parsons said. “We’re coming out here, we’re running to the ball, we’re playing fast, trusting each other, communicating. That just makes you hard to beat. As long as you just keep doing that every week and challenging ourselves to keep up with that same energy and effort, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

Impossible to beat, at least to start the season.

Last season, the Lions finished No. 1 in points scored and No. 2 in total offense and the Commanders finished No. 5 in points and No. 7 in total offense. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff finished fifth in the NFL MVP race and Daniels finished seventh for MVP and won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Against two of the best offenses in the league and two of the best quarterbacks in the game, the Packers’ swarming defense made life a living hell. Last week, the Lions didn’t find the end zone or reach 200 yards until their final possession. On Thursday, the Commanders had 112 yards and zero touchdowns entering the fourth quarter.

“Relentless” is the adjective used by coach Matt LaFleur to describe his defense.

Green Bay finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in total defense last season, but it seemingly was done by defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s use of smoke and mirrors. Now, with the addition of Parsons, a good defense looks like it’s legitimately great.

“I don’t think we take this type of move if we didn’t believe we could do that,” Parsons said. “Shoutout to the organization for believing in me and think that I could come in and make an impact. I just want to keep holding up this standard and this level that they expect me to come in and play with.”

A star with a star on the helmet, Parsons never thought he’d be playing for the Packers now. But he’s embraced the opportunity as much as everyone has embraced his presence.

Before kickoff on Thursday, with most of the 77,289 fans dressed accordingly for the Winter Warning game, Parsons took a step back and soaked it all in.

“Honestly, man, for me, when I have a first-time experience, I like to just take things in and just enjoy what’s around,” he said. “It was like really beautiful to see. That was an elite atmosphere that I don’t see too many times, so I just wanted to take it in, program it into my mind and just remember how blessed I am and how amazing it is I go out and play football.”

And, like a monster, wreck football games.