Packers: Micah Parsons Missing Half The Season Looking More Realistic

In June, Jason La Canfora reported that it was likely that Micah Parsons would miss "upwards" of half of the regular season as the Green Bay Packers edge recovers from an ACL injury that required surgery.

Despite many covering the Packers thinking it would be more likely for Parsons to return around October, it's appearing ever more so that the star pass-rusher will not make a return until November.

On Saturday, Tom Pelissero of Netflix and Jonathan Jones of The Athletic noted that it appears like the earliest game Parsons will play in would be against the New England Patriots on Nov. 8.

"The soonest Parsons appears to have a realistic chance of returning is November 8 against the Patriots," Pelissero wrote.

If Parsons makes his return for the Packers against the Patriots, he would have missed the first eight games of the season for Green Bay, putting him near the halfway mark of a 17-game regular season. If he doesn't play against New England, he would certainly have missed more than half of the season.

The Packers have managed to build a 3-2 record without two of their best players, Parsons and running back Jacob Jones. Green Bay received good news from the league on Friday when the NFL took Jacobs off the commissioner exempt list, clearing the running back to return to practice and make his return when the Packers travel to play the Detroit Lions in Week 7. 

Sans Parsons, the Packers have recorded 14 sacks through their first five games, with Lukas Van Ness leading Green Bay with 2.5 sacks. The unit should become much more of a force later in the season when Parsons is back on the field.

The Packers pushed their chips on the table for Parsons last August when they traded for the pass-rusher. His injury before the postseason hurt Green Bay's chances of competing for the Super Bowl. 

While his absence has been notable for the Packers to start the year, he could be the key to elevating Green Bay into a contender later this season.

Still, the Packers are expected to have to navigate tough games against the Cowboys, Lions, and Carolina Panthers on "Thursday Night Football" before Parsons can play the Patriots. It's important that the Packers win a couple of those games before the reinforcement comes in.

Parsons would then be available for critical games against the Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, and Houston Texans in the back half of the regular season schedule.