ESPN analyst Mina Kimes said Thursday that Green Bay will feel Micah Parsons’ absence immediately and that quarterback Jordan Love must carry an unusually heavy load while the Packers wait for their star pass rusher to return.
“That [Packers] defense without Micah Parsons is going to struggle. … [Jordan Love] has to play at an MVP level these first few weeks,” Kimes said on First Take, in comments the show’s official account highlighted ahead of Sunday’s NFC North opener.
The warning landed three days before Green Bay visits Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium. Parsons, a three-time first-team All-Pro, remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list while recovering from the torn left ACL he suffered in Week 15 last season.
That designation requires him to miss at least the first four games. His earliest possible return is Green Bay’s Oct. 11 home game against Chicago. Parsons has called a mid-October target, including a potential Week 6 matchup with his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, an optimistic goal.
Green Bay acquired Parsons from Dallas in August 2025 for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks, then signed him to a four-year, $188 million contract. He responded with 12.5 sacks in 14 games, becoming the first player since sacks became official in 1982 to post at least 12 in each of his first five NFL seasons.
The production vanished after Dec. 14 in Denver. Parsons went down while chasing Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. Green Bay, then 9-3-1 and leading that game, lost 34-26 and did not win again in the regular season.
The Packers finished 9-7-1, then lost a wild-card playoff game at Chicago 31-27. In the year since the trade, Green Bay has lost each of the four games Parsons has missed. Last season’s next-highest sack total belonged to Devonte Wyatt with four.
Love completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games, finishing with a 101.2 rating. Those numbers were efficient, but they came with a defense that still had Parsons for most of the year and with running back Josh Jacobs available.
Jacobs will not play Sunday. He is on the commissioner’s exempt list while a legal case proceeds, leaving Love without his top rusher as well as without his top defender. Love said this week the offense’s job does not change.
“I think always the goal of the offense is to put up as many points as you can,” Love told reporters. “I think that’s our goal no matter who’s out there on defense, with Micah, without Micah.”
Minnesota presents a difficult first test. Kyler Murray will make his Vikings debut after signing a one-year deal following his release by Arizona. Justin Jefferson remains the centerpiece of the passing game, and Brian Flores’ defense is expected to pressure Love without Jacobs to balance the offense.
New Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, hired after last season, has tried to sound confident about generating a rush without Parsons.
“I feel really good about us being able to affect the passer right now, from what they’ve done in training camp, what they’ve done in some preseason games,” Gannon said.
The personnel around that rush has changed. Rashan Gary was traded to Dallas. Kingsley Enagbare signed with the New York Jets. Green Bay is asking a different group to hold the line until Parsons can practice, a window that can open after Week 2.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has said the team should be “pretty close” once the mandatory four-game PUP period ends, while also stressing caution because of the size of the investment. Parsons has described a strict nine-month rehabilitation plan after ACL reconstruction and a meniscus procedure in late December.
Kimes’ point was that Green Bay cannot wait for October to look like a contender. The Packers open against a division rival, then have little room to stumble if they want the NFC North race to look the same when Parsons returns.
Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff will show how much of that burden Love can actually shoulder.
