The Green Bay Packers’ 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings looked ugly by the time the final whistle arrived.
But Micah Parsons isn’t treating the season opener like evidence that Green Bay’s problems are permanent.
Parsons, who remains sidelined while recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus procedure, defended the Packers’ offensive line and pointed to the defense’s underlying performance during an appearance on Bleacher Report’s “The Edge”.
“I’m giving them grace,” Parsons said while discussing a line playing together for the first time this season. He later added, “Scoreboards are so deceiving,” arguing that Green Bay’s defense played better than the 39 points on Minnesota’s side suggested.
Parsons’ message harped on identifying what went wrong without turning one loss into a verdict on the season, striking a necessary tone for a team coming off a fourth-quarter collapse.
Parsons Sees Lessons Behind Packers’ Ugly Finish
Green Bay was in control for much of the afternoon. The Packers led 22-10 late in the third quarter before Minnesota scored 29 consecutive points, including 22 in the fourth.
The game swung after Jordan Love was stopped on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak. From there, the Packers’ offense turned the ball over on its next two possessions, giving Minnesota short fields and helping turn a close game into a 17-point defeat.
Love still finished with 387 passing yards and two touchdowns, both to Christian Watson, who produced six catches for 147 yards. The offense also generated 10 explosive plays for 313 yards, via Packers.com, but converted only one of four red-zone trips into a touchdown.
Parsons focused on the other side of the ball. He said the Packers held Minnesota to 229 yards of total offense; Pro Football Reference’s official totals list the Vikings at 239 yards, including 132 net passing yards and 107 rushing yards.
That context helps explain why Parsons viewed the final score as misleading. Minnesota’s final two touchdown drives covered only 19 and 14 yards after Green Bay turnovers, while three defensive penalties erased third-down stops on the Vikings’ go-ahead possession.
Parsons called the defeat a “great lesson for us to learn.”
Packers’ Offensive Line Has Chance to Respond
The line is where Parsons offered perhaps his most notable show of patience.
Green Bay entered Week 1 with moving pieces up front, and the Vikings exploited them. NFL.com reported Minnesota pressured Love on 54.3% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in the league after one week, while blitzing on 73.9% of those plays.
Donovan Jennings made his first NFL start at left guard in place of the injured Aaron Banks, while Jacob Monk made his first start at right guard. Sean Rhyan entered his first full season as the starting center, and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele was returning from offseason knee surgery.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Love was hit 18 times by Green Bay’s internal count and called that total “not good enough.” The Packers are already considering combinations up front as they search for the best five before Week 2.
Matt LaFleur said Monday that Green Bay needs to establish continuity as quickly as possible after players moved in and out of the lineup throughout camp.
The Packers now travel to face the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 20, giving the line an immediate chance to show progress.
Parsons will still be watching rather than playing. He opened the season on the physically unable to perform list and must miss at least four games, with a return around Week 5 or Week 6 still in play.
Until then, Green Bay’s biggest stars is urging patience after a result that looked worse on the scoreboard than it did in several underlying areas.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Defends Teammates Before Jets Game