Packers start 2-0 as Parsons shines in limited snaps

The Green Bay Packers’ blockbuster acquisition of Micah Parsons has paid immediate dividends, helping the team to a 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field on Thursday night and handing Green Bay a 2-0 start to the season. Parsons, traded from the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 28 for two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, has produced disruptive play despite a managed workload as he recovers from a back injury.

Parsons logged a half-sack, three quarterback hits and what Next Gen Stats credited as a team-high eight pressures on Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, according to league data. That performance followed a Week 1 appearance in which he recorded a sack of Jared Goff. Through two games he is credited with roughly 1.5 sacks and has been used on a pitch count, playing a limited number of snaps — reports noted he took 29 snaps in Week 1 and about 47 in Week 2 — as the team monitors an L4-L5 facet joint sprain. Parsons openly expressed frustration at the restriction, saying after the game, "Cant hold a dog back forever."

The Packers defense has been dominant in those two outings, allowing just 31 points combined and holding the...