It's a bit later than I think we would have expected, but it looks like Micah Parsons' return is drawing near.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has indicated there's a chance the Packers' star edge rusher could start practicing next week, giving the Packers some hope that one of the league's best players could finally be back in uniform.
It seems to have been broadly understood that the Packers were going to be without Parsons for at least part of the season, and the goal for however long that portion turned out to be was to survive and position themselves to make some noise when Parsons came back.
I think they've basically done that — to a point. Assuming Parsons is back next week, the Packers need to take care of business against the Panthers to give themselves a favorable outlook on the rest of the season once they've got their most critical defensive piece back. A win moves the Packers to 5-3, which isn't great but it's workable. They'd probably need to go 6-4 at least the rest of the way for a decent shot at the playoffs.
But if they'd happen to lose, which we can't rule out given how they've played to this point, their playoff odds drop to just 27% according to ESPN's playoff scenario estimates. That makes Thursday's game pretty close to a must win.
And if they do win, who knows what happens next? The 2026 Packers are a mystery to themselves and others. They could be competitive in any game or lose to anyone. But getting Parsons back, even if he can't fix their offensive line problems, would give them hope they haven't had in a long time.
Handle the Panthers first, and then see what happens.
Matt LaFleur isn't ruling out imminent practice return for Micah Parsons | ESPN
What the Packers do this week will go a long way toward determining what kind of scenario Parsons will face when he returns.
Packers CB Brandon Cisse not playing like a rookie | Packers.com
There have been bumps in the road, but Cisse has been everything the Packers could have asked for.
Packers rookie Brandon Cisse is turning heads with his rapid development | Packers News ($)
Cisse spent a lot of time opposite Amon Ra St. Brown on Sunday and came out looking pretty good.
Packers were among teams interested in trade for Quenton Nelson | Packers Wire
This is noteworthy, but "interested" can mean so many things.
Aerospace Engineer John Williams' Career Rockets Up With Packers | Sports Illustrated
If I were John Williams, I'd respond to everything the Packers asked me to do by sighing heavily and saying "well, it's not rocket science."
A dinosaur fossil that looks like a mini T. rex just sold for a giant $47 million | Associated Press
I was in on the bidding but came up about $47 million short.
The funny thing about the Packers' running game is we know the whole story. We know it's bad in unprecedented ways. We also know exactly why it's bad: the offensive line is bad and the running backs who've been carrying the ball for most of the season are possibly even worse. But even so, you still have to laugh at stats about their ineptitude — otherwise you'd cry.
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