The Steelers watched Packers OLB Micah Parsons wreak havoc against the Cardinals. One hopes they saw exactly what not to do against him. For some reason, Arizona decided to let LT Paris Johnson handle the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback on his own. As a result, Parsons had a career game, recording three sacks, his highest single-game total. And he had another sack taken away after it was flagged for a hip-drop tackle.
Pittsburgh has done a better job protecting Aaron Rodgers, even against Myles Garrett. One thing they certainly did not do, however, was just tell their tackles they’re on their own. And I can’t imagine the Steelers would attempt to do that against Micah Parsons.
But Pittsburgh got a jump on Cleveland that game, making it easier to avoid the rush with a run-heavy approach. The Packers have an offense that could put them in the hole and force them to pass. That’s exactly where they want to put Rodgers and the Steelers—right in Parsons’ crosshairs.
After his three-sack game, Parsons is up to 5.5 sacks on the season—which, admittedly, isn’t worth nearly $50 million per season. Of course, ordinarily, teams devote so many resources to defending him that they leave vulnerabilities elsewhere. In six games, he already has 13 quarterback hits and is on pace to set a career high in that category. And for that matter, he’s also on pace to set a career high in sacks. I’m sure he would love to boost his total against Rodgers.
Over his first four seasons, Micah Parsons recorded 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, and 112 quarterback hits. He has unmatched athleticism and speed off the edge and is just a relentless pass rusher. The Steelers will certainly have their hands full with him, as their tackles are aware.
“He’s a relentless player”, Steelers LT Broderick Jones said of Parsons. “He doesn’t stop like most people in the league, and it sets him apart because he has a motor about him”. He also praised Parsons’ finesse and “deep bag of tools”. Likewise, RT Troy Fautanu called Parsons “a game-breaker”, promising they’ll “treat him as such”.
Of course, the Steelers don’t yet have that kind of belief in their tackles that they would leave them on an island with any edge rusher of note, let alone Micah Parsons. Having Aaron Rodgers back there only increases their incentive to maximize the protection plan. By and large, that strategy has paid off, and increasingly so, but the Packers will stress that plan significantly. Especially with Parsons coming off one of the best games of his career.
