By Blessing 
The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for a massive NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, and one star player is making it clear he’s already locked in. Micah Parsons, who etched his name into NFL history just last week, isn’t interested in taking a break—not even after a physically demanding game.
“Rest? Who needs rest?” pretty much captures his mood heading into the holiday matchup.
Less than two days after dropping two sacks on the Minnesota Vikings, Parsons told reporters he’s ready to go again for the Thanksgiving clash in Detroit.
“I feel ready right now, to be honest,” he said—a statement that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was thrilled to hear.
Hafley lit up at the news.
“I’m glad he’s ready right now because we’re going to need him to be ready, especially with how physical he played in that game,” he said. Hafley praised Parsons’ energy, noting that it doesn’t matter if he’s in meetings, at practice, or on game day—Parsons brings the same relentless spark. “He’s got so much energy… he just never seems to be stopped. We’ll see what he can do on Thursday.”
That energy is exactly what has made Parsons one of the NFL’s most feared defensive forces. He’s sitting at 10 sacks this season—fifth in the league—and leads the NFL with 60 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. But it’s not just the numbers; it’s the way he plays. His motor runs hot, and it rarely dips, even late in games.
Since settling into Green Bay after being traded from Dallas before Week 1, Parsons has become a workhorse. After the bye week, he’s played 84.8% of defensive snaps, the fifth-highest among all NFL defensive linemen. Meanwhile, his counterpart Rashan Gary stands at 63.5%.
Parsons believes that work rate is why he has the upper hand heading into this matchup.
“I probably have an advantage. No doubt in my mind,” he said. “I got that advantage and it’s the mentality of we’re all hurt, we’re all banged up, but who’s going to play harder?”
He says his mindset is what tips the scales—even against elite offensive tackles like Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker.
“They’re not going to outplay me,” Parsons declared. He acknowledged Detroit’s tackle duo as one of the best in the NFL but quickly countered that Green Bay has “one of the best rush duos in the league.” The anticipation of facing top-tier competition seems to excite him. “I’m already anticipating the game plan and the matchup. I’m excited about it.”
Parsons shines brightest when the stakes rise. Half of his sacks have come in the fourth quarter and eight of his 10 have come in the second half. Against Minnesota, his two sacks came during the third-quarter surge that effectively buried the Vikings.
Hafley remembered one near-sack play that didn’t even show up on the stat sheet.
“Even the one he didn’t have, where he just ran the center over, kind of sent a message,” he said. The impact was contagious. “The energy level with that group… it almost felt like whatever was going to be called, they were going to get through, and that was him closing it out that early.”
And with those two sacks last week, Parsons tied some NFL royalty. He now has five straight seasons with 10 or more sacks—something only Reggie White has also accomplished, and White did it nine straight times.
Parsons doesn’t take that lightly.
“I think that’s just a hell of a start,” he said. He called White a symbol of greatness and said he’s striving to “obtain that greatness” through consistency. “I know that consistency is the epitome of greatness.”
He knows he’s being studied just as much as he studies others. Opponents have five years of his film now, and he understands that growth can’t stop.
“Every year, you’ve got to find a way to amplify your game so that way you don’t slow down.”
Joining Reggie White in the record books is something he’s grateful for, but he’s not content. “I think he’s the only player that got like nine, so I’m hunting that down.”
He also mentioned seeing Myles Garrett’s huge season and feeling inspired.
“We’re always chasing and climbing to our peers, the past elders of this game… they’re role models for us.”
He hopes that one day, a younger player will look up to him the same way.