There are many keys to this game for the Denver Broncos to beat the Green Bay Packers, but the biggest one may have just surfaced on the latest injury report with right tackle Mike McGlinchey showing up
as questionable with a shoulder injury. Against a defense like the Packers, the offensive line was already going to be put to the max test on Sunday.
One of the reasons why is Micah Parsons, though he doesn’t traditionally line up only against the right tackle. He is the defensive version of a joker. He’ll line up anywhere as head coach Sean Payton noted this week.
“The more challenging thing with Micah [Parsons] is where he’s at,” Payton said on Friday. “He’s not as predictable as maybe some guys. Some guys you know they’re going to be… Maxx [Crosby] occasionally would be in base to the other side, but Micah is outside left, outside… We’ve tried to do a whole study on his alignments. He’s inside in the nickel in the pass rush situations. So that becomes challenging.”
It would behoove the Broncos to not try to double-team Parsons, especially if he ends up targeting one of the more inexperienced guys like Luke Wattenberg or Alex Palczewski inside. They certainly need to find a way to keep Bo Nix from feeling the inside pressure as that has been a good way to get him off his game at times.
The problem is, Parsons’ is really good at destroying double-team situations.
“He has a unique bend and power,” Payton said of Parsons’ success against double-teams. He’s not just a… He’s strong. His flexibility and his strength, and how he plays with balance. He’s elite. In every game you watch, there are pocket issues and [No.] 52 [Rashan Gary] is the same. As a group, they rush the passer extremely well. Our early downs have to be good. He’s up 85, 88 percent [of the snaps]. He’s up there quite a bit. Again a lot goes into the plan.”
Accounting for Parsons is a must, but that opens things up for Rashan Gary to get home. In many ways, the Packers front seven is every bit as good at getting to the quarterback as the Broncos front seven is — just with fewer sacks. What sets the Broncos defense apart is that they are generating pressure from every position along the front, which is a unique situation.
If the Broncos offensive line can keep Bo Nix relatively freed from pressure, then Denver should be able to move the ball. I would love to see the national media eat crow yet again.
