Since he arrived in Green Bay earlier this month, star pass rusher Micah Parsons has been on a snap count through the first two weeks of the regular season due to a back injury.
Parsons played 30 defensive snaps in Week 1 but saw an increase to 47 snaps in Week 2. But the veteran pass rusher expressed his displeasure following Green Bay’s Week 2 primetime win about the snap count, telling reporters it's “pissing him off.”
On Thursday, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked if Parsons would be unleashed this week, and LaFleur responded with, “We’ll see,” along with a big smile, per Eli Berkovits of Packer Report.
Micah Parsons Could be Taken Off Snap Count in Week 3 vs. Browns
Packers fans surprisingly don’t have any issues with Parsons being on a snap count, as he’s still fairly new to the team, and he’s been effective on the field.
In last week’s win against the Commanders, the veteran pass rusher recorded a team-high eight pressures (six in the second half) and a half sack on 37 pass rushes, per Next Gen Stats. In his Packers’ debut against the Lions, Parsons posted three pressures and a sack in 29 snaps (h/t Next Gen Stats), per Weston Hodkiewicz.
However, from Parsons’ perspective, the star edge rusher believes that the snap counts are doing more harm than good, as he gets tight.
That said, if there’s a week to take Parsons off a snap count, why not do it against the Browns and 41-year-old QB Joe Flacco? The Browns' starting quarterback has been sacked four times through two games. He has also been hurried eight times, knocked down 10 times, and blitzed 12 times.
In last week’s win over the Commanders, we saw the Packers’ defense blitzed Jayden Daniels 12 times, and he’s one of the best dual-threat QBs. Green Bay had success against Daniels (7 pressures and two sacks), so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them let Parsons eat against this Browns’ offensive line.
Now, the Browns will try to do their damnedest not to let Parsons wreck the game. But with how Hafley deploys him on the edge and inside on the defensive line, we should see the star pass rusher thrive no matter how many snaps he sees on Sunday.