Micah Parsons delivered another dominant Thanksgiving performance, leading the Green Bay Packers’ to a 31–24 win over the Detroit Lions to complete a season sweep of their division rival. The All-Pro pass-rusher overwhelmed Detroit’s offense throughout the game, turning in one of the most impactful games of his career while also making NFL history.
Parsons finished with 2.5 sacks, multiple tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and constant pressure on Jared Goff, factoring into all three of Detroit’s sacks. He also piled up eight tackles and, according to Next Gen Stats, generated 10 total pressures on just 26 pass-rush snaps—good for a 38.5% pressure rate, his highest in a game since his rookie year. Four of those pressures came on six third-down rushes, including two sacks.
The 26-year-old’s production wasn’t just timely—it was historic. Parsons became the first NFL player ever to reach at least 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons. He entered the holiday matchup with 10, ended the day with 12.5, and now trails only Brian Burns by a half-sack for second-most in the league. His career Thanksgiving résumé is equally staggering: 8.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and 41 pressures across five holiday appearances, with at least one sack in every Thanksgiving game he’s played.
Several of Parsons’ biggest moments against Detroit swung key possessions. A quarterback hit on the Lions’ opening series helped force an early punt. He later dropped Goff for a drive-killing third-and-15 sack, stuffed a fourth-and-3 run to halt Detroit’s first second-half possession, stopped Jahmyr Gibbs for no gain on a critical third down, and capped his day with a late fourth-quarter sack that forced the Lions to settle for a field goal.
Thursday also marked Parsons’ 12th game as a Packer after Green Bay paid a steep offseason price—two future first-round picks and Kenny Clark—to acquire him from Dallas. Through 12 games, he has 34 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits to go with his 12.5 sacks.
His latest performance added another milestone: as noted by NFL+, Parsons has climbed into the top five for most sacks in a player’s first five seasons since the stat became official in 1982. His 65 career sacks allowed him to surpass Dexter Manley and DeMarcus Ware, joining elite company that includes two Hall of Famers and the Watt brothers.
The Packers, now 8–3–1 after three straight wins—including two against NFC North opponents in a five-day span—return home next to host the Chicago Bears on Dec. 7. Detroit fell to 7–5 with the loss.
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