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Micah Parsons #1 of the Green Bay Packers during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. The Packers defeated the Cardinals 27-23. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Every NFL fan is excited for the next season to come, but Green Bay Packers fans are going to have a hard time getting excited for Week 1, according to Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated. Verderame notes that Micah Parsons will be out Week 1, and the Packers’ chances of competing are not nearly as high without him as they are with him.

The Packers were 9-4-1 in games that Parsons started last year. That includes the loss to the Denver Broncos that Green Bay had a lead in, but watched it evaporate without Parsons. So, you could argue they were 9-3-1 when Parsons had a say in the outcome.

The team was 0-3 in the regular season without Parsons, and 0-5 if you include the Denver loss and the playoffs. Needless to say, the Packers have been living and dying on Parsons since trading for him.

The Green Bay Packers Do Not Have the Depth to Compete Without Micah Parsons

The biggest issue is that the depth is not adequate behind him. It might be worse than last year, considering the team traded Rashan Gary, who posted 7.5 sacks last year. They replaced him with a fourth-round rookie, Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Perhaps Dennis-Sutton hits the ground running, but adds a major question mark. More than the rookies, they are looking for the in-house players to step up.

Lukas Van Ness is a former first-round pick, but he only posted 1.5 sacks last year. He also had just 8.5 sacks in three NFL seasons. Barryn Sorrell posted 1.5 sacks last year as well. That was his rookie season. Brenton Cox will be in the mix and had one sack last year. However, he is more of a veteran rotational player, and they would like the other three to slide into the more prominent roles.

The Packers have been linked to veteran pass rushers throughout the offseason, but so far, they have not bitten. Parsons is expected to be out for a bit, but he should be back for a playoff run, which could complicate the type of player they want to add.

The Packers Are Hoping for a Playoff Run With Micah Parsons

The good news for the Packers is that in recent years, they have been deemed a regular-season team that lacks playoff success. They are one of the winningest teams in the regular season under Matt LeFleur, but he does not bring the same track record into the important games.

Last year, the Packers cruised through the regular season, but when they needed Parsons in the postseason, he was gone.

This year, the team could try to survive the regular season without him. That will not be easy, but they have done it before. If they can sneak into the playoffs and they can get Parsons back to his old ways, there is potential for this team to be more deadly in the playoffs than they have been in years past.

So, while Packers fans will be disappointed to start the year, they could be much happier when the significant games start to roll around.