Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is confident that Micah Parsons is going to make a full recovery from the torn ACL that he suffered last weekend.
Hafley said on Wednesday that he believes Parsons “comes back even better and probably breaks the sack record next year.” That would make for quite a story, but it wouldn’t do anything to help the Packers’ chances of making a playoff run despite Parsons’ absence and Hafley’s job is to make sure that the defense doesn’t fall apart without its star defensive end.
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Hafley shared the message he’s sending as the team prepares to face the Bears on Saturday.
“I told them you can’t let circumstances dictate behavior,” Hafley said, via Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com. “A week ago, we’re in here after we beat the Bears, and we’re all walking in here all upbeat and ready to roll. I said, ‘Shame on you if you walk in here any different today.’ That’s not who we are. That’s our job as leaders and coaches, to make sure that we don’t do that. We’ve got really good players. We’ve played good defense, and we’re going to continue to play good defense. Our guys understand that, and I think it’s important for everyone to understand that these guys have a lot of pride and they’re going to get even closer because of this. And they’re going to play well.”
Parsons was not a one-man band on defense in Green Bay, but his presence did draw a lot of attention from opposing offenses and create opportunities for others while he was being double- or triple-teamed. That won’t be part of the landscape on Saturday in Chicago or at any other point this season, which leaves Hafley and the Packers with a lot to figure out on the fly.
