The Minnesota Vikings offense will have to worry about the Green Bay Packers‘ pass rush ahead of the Week 1 contest. However, as they prepared for the season opener, the Vikings didn’t have to stress over Micah Parsons.
During training camp, the Packers placed Parsons on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on Aug. 30, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
Moreover, it’s a good thing that Minnesota won’t be seeing Parsons, as the Green Bay edge rusher has made life challenging for the Vikings. The Packers star has had 16 solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and 4.0 sacks in three games against Minnesota, per StatMuse.
As a result, Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips sent a heartfelt message to Parsons on the player’s recovery, but then followed it up with a candid statement.
“A lot different,” Phillips told reporters on Sept. 10 about preparing to face the Packers without Parsons. “I wish him well in his recovery, and I hope he’s fully healthy and ready to roll, but I’m glad we’re not playing him.”
Kyler Murray on Facing Packers Defense Led By His HC
Nonetheless, Minnesota isn’t out of the woods just because the Packers don’t have Parsons. The Vikings will be ushering in a new quarterback, with Kyler Murray having the reins to the offense.
However, Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, coached Murray during his time with the Arizona Cardinals from 2023 to 2025. As a result, the Packers have someone who knows Murray inside and out. It will be interesting to see if the Vikings signal-caller can overcome this challenge.
On Sept. 10, Murray spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on what he expects from the Green Bay defense with Gannon calling the plays for the unit.
“Expect [the Packers defense] to play super hard and be competitive,” Murray told reporters. “A lot more things, but nonetheless, JG, I loved my time with him. So, I know how hard he’s going to coach his guys and how hard he’s going to have them playing. So, that’s something we got to be ready for.”
Justin Jefferson on Vikings-Packers Rivalry
Ahead of the Week 1 game, Jefferson appeared on the Sept. 10 edition of The Ringer’s “Ringer Wise Guys” and spoke about the rivalry between the Packers and Vikings.
“You feel the hatred within once you’re in the middle of it, and you get here, and you see how much Minnesota hates the Packers and the Packers hate Minnesota,” Jefferson said.
“So it’s just within it, just like at LSU, we hate Alabama. It’s just a part of the rivalry, a part of the school. It is what it is. It’s just that it’s been like that. They’ve been doing that for years, years before I was thought of.”
Since coming into the league in 2020, Jefferson has had 60 catches for 863 yards and has scored five touchdowns in 11 games against the Packers, per StatMuse. Jefferson will be looking to build on these numbers, especially with a new quarterback under center in Murray.
Vikings Issue Clear Micah Parsons Message Before Packers Game