The Green Bay Packers defense is currently ranked fourth in Defensive DVOA in the 2026 season. Let that sink in for a second, because new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has pulled off one of the NFL’s most impressive early-season stories, and he’s doing it with his transcendent star edge-rusher still on the sidelines.
The Parsons Effect: What Went Down in 2025
Remember that massive move on August 28, 2025? The Packers went all-in, sending defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons. Everyone, myself included, thought this was going to be a game-changer for their defense, and for a while, it totally was. In the first half of the 2025 season, the Pack’s defense was sitting pretty at 10th in DVOA. Parsons was an absolute beast, racking up 14 sacks and 79 pressures by Week 15. The dude was looking every bit the force he was in Dallas.
But then, disaster struck. Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, Parsons tore his ACL. And just like that, everything went sideways. The Packers, who were sitting at 9-3-1, lost every single game after that injury. Their season crashed and burned with a 31-27 Wild Card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. Without Parsons, their defensive epicenter, the juice just wasn’t there. Their Defensive DVOA plummeted to 25th in the second half of the season. The numbers scream it:
- With Parsons on the field (669 snaps):
- 4.87 yards allowed per play
- EPA/play allowed: -0.048 (that’s good!)
- Pass defense: 367 attempts, 6.29 yards per attempt allowed
- Run defense: 273 attempts, 4.13 yards per carry allowed
- 29 sacks, 6 interceptions
- Without Parsons on the field (469 snaps):
- 5.31 yards allowed per play
- EPA/play allowed: +0.09 (that’s NOT good!)
- Pass defense: 230 attempts, 6.82 yards per attempt allowed
- Run defense: 231 attempts, 4.18 yards per carry allowed
- 8 sacks, 3 interceptions
Micah himself knew it. “We just need to get healthy,” Parsons told a reporter on September 16, after their 39-22 season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. “I think once we get healthy, and I’m back on that grass or that turf, we’re going to take it to another level.” Thing is, new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon couldn’t wait around.
Gannon’s Masterclass: Building a Monster Without His Superstar
The hope was that Parsons would be back on the field for Green Bay’s Week 6 clash against the Cowboys, but that just didn’t happen. Gannon was stuck. He had to make the best of what he had, and holy smokes, has he ever. The Packers defense is absolutely stifling opponents this year, currently sitting at fourth in the entire league in Defensive DVOA. Gannon’s concepts are proving to be profoundly unsettling for every offense they face.
How is he doing it, you ask? With a new environment and players he didn’t even know last season, this turnaround is unreal. Everything is clicking across all three levels of the defense. Gannon is clearly relying on creative pressures to get guys to the quarterback, and it’s working.
Blitzing Hard and Unleashing the Untapped Talent
As expected, Gannon is blitzing a ton. His defense is sending extra rushers on 31.9% of plays this season, which is the 12th-highest rate in the NFL. But get this: their overall pressure rate is 38.7%, which is only 18th-highest, per SumerSports. So they’re not always getting home with the blitz, but they are still disrupting things like crazy. This means guys are getting to the quarterback through pure scheme and individual effort. Lukas Van Ness is leading the charge with five sacks and 28 total pressures. Rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton is right behind him with four sacks, and fellow edge-rusher Brenton Cox Jr. is second on the team with 22 pressures. These aren’t the household names Parsons is, but they’re making a huge impact.
So, what’s next? This Packers defense is an absolute puzzle for the rest of the league right now. With Gannon orchestrating such a dominant unit without his biggest weapon, it makes you wonder what happens when Parsons finally does return. The stakes for the rest of the season are through the roof. Can Gannon keep this momentum going? You know the entire NFL is watching, trying to figure out how he’s done it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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