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So far, Micah Parsons is doing exactly what the Packers wanted him to do when they ponied up a war chest of draft picks and guaranteed money to secure his services: he’s making life exceedingly difficult for opposing quarterbacks.
Parsons is having an excellent year just about any way you slice it. If you like advanced stats, his 42 pressures are tied for second-most in the league (even though Parsons has played fewer games than two of the players tied with him), his pass rush winning percentage is third-best in the league, and he leads the league in pressures on true pass sets (that is, passing plays that are not play-action passes, screen passes, or bootlegs). If you like more traditional stats, he’s sixth in the NFL with 6.5 sacks.
But just as importantly, Parsons is creating opportunities for those around him, specifically Rashan Gary. While he doesn’t have the same outstanding advanced metrics as Parsons, Gary’s 7.5 sacks rank fifth in the NFL and put him well on his way to a career high.
Both Parsons and Gary look likely to finish the season with double-digit sacks. In fact, outside of an injury, it would be disappointing for either of them to not make it into double digits this year. Surprisingly, that’d make for a relatively rare feat in Packers history. Dating back to 1982, the first year sacks were an official statistic, just two pairs of teammates in Green Bay have recorded double-digit sacks in the same season.
The first pair was Reggie White and Bryce Paup in 1993. Playing his first season in Green Bay, White arrived in force, recording 13 sacks, including six in a four-game span toward the middle of the season. Paup, in just his fourth season in the NFL, logged 11 sacks, then a career high. He’d later record a league-leading 17.5 sacks for the Buffalo Bills in 1995, winning Defensive Player of the Year for his trouble.
The second pair of teammates to notch double-digit sacks was Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith in 2019. Za’Darius recorded 13.5 sacks while Preston managed 12, the highest total of his career and the only time he’d ever hit double digits.
But even prior to sacks becoming an “official” stat, pairs of Packers teammates were still getting after quarterbacks. Utilizing loads of independent research and descriptions of games from the era in which they took place, Pro Football Reference has reconstructed sack totals for players dating back to the early 1960s, uncovering some tremendous performances from Packers players in the process.
For instance, in 1978, second-year pass rushers Ezra Johnson and Mike Butler both broke the 10-sack barrier: Johnson was credited with 17.5 sacks while Butler added another 10. So far, that’s the most productive pairing in team history, though, again, it’s unofficial.
In 1975, Dave Pureifory (11) and Clarence Williams (10) combined for 21 total sacks, giving the 4-10 Packers at least a little something to be excited about. Honestly, that’s about all the good...
