Packers' Micah Parsons eyeing Thanksgiving eve return vs. Rams, per report
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The Packers' defense has turned the corner this season, and now, reinforcements could be on the way. It's not just any reinforcements, either. It's All-Pro reinforcements. Micah Parsons and Green Bay are targeting a Thanksgiving Eve return against the Rams for the star pass rusher, per NFL Network. He has not played since Week 15 of last season, when he tore his ACL and meniscus against the Broncos.
According to the report, Parsons is slated to return to practice this coming week (Green Bay already won this week, beating the Panthers 27-19 to move to 5-3) and participate in individual drills ahead of Week 9. If all goes to plan, he will progress to team drills ahead of Week 10. The Packers have a Week 11 bye and then face the Rams on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Should Parsons return then, it would be nearly a year since he originally suffered the injury and nearly 11 months since he had surgery, which featured an ACL reconstruction and a full repair of his meniscus.
Parsons was his normal superstar self after arriving from the Cowboys via a blockbuster trade last year, racking up 12.5 sacks in 14 games despite changing teams days before the season opener. The Packers ranked fifth in yards per play allowed through 15 weeks last year. From Week 16 onward, after Parsons' injury, they were 26th. Their season came to an unceremonious end with a loss to the Bears in the Wild Card Round.
Early on, it looked like the Packers were on pace for a similarly poor defensive performance without their star edge rusher. But Jonathan Gannon's unit has improved significantly over the course of the season. Since Week 4, Green Bay is third in yards per play allowed and has an NFL-high 13 turnovers forced.
Adding Parsons to the mix will be a huge boost in the uber-competitive NFC North and for the playoff push in general. Despite a 5-3 record, Green Bay is last in the division. SportsLine currently gives the Packers a 61% chance to make the postseason.
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