Micah Parsons won't be on the field for a highly anticipated prime-time grudge match when his Green Bay Packers host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Oct. 18.
When might the three-time All-Pro edge rusher actually come make his comeback?
Ten months after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee, Parsons remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Yet while others were eager to see him square off against his former team with the "Sunday Night Football" spotlight firmly trained on him, the pass rusher said he wasn't going to expedite his recovery process just to make it back in time for the matchup.
"So many people wanted me to be back for that game to make the game bigger than what it was," Parsons said last week on his podcast, "The Edge with Micah Parsons." "It's just another 'Sunday Night Football' game between two good teams. It's not about me. I think that probably let people down. 'Oh, Micah, he's gonna want to be back for the Dallas game.' No, I'm in that phase of life where I just want to be healthy again. That's it."
Micah Parsons injury update
Parsons has yet to be cleared to practice. Now set to sit out the Week 6 contest, the edge rusher will miss out on what he said over the summer would be the "most optimistic" timetable for a return.
In Parsons' mind, however, the wait for his season debut could end soon.
"If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl," Parsons said on his podcast. "But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first.
"What a lot of people don't figure out is it's not just the ACL. It's like, why did the ACL (tear) happen? What was weak? Because it all works together. It's a chain. And throughout the history of ACL, they notice if you come back early, there tends to be an overcompensation injury on the other side."
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Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who last week said he would play Parsons as soon as he was given "the green light," echoed that sentiment.
"(S)ometimes, you’ve got to make sure that your body is (in sync)," LaFleur said. "You don’t want one leg to be that much stronger than the other leg is what I’m getting at.”
The Packers don't have their bye until Week 11, with a difficult stretch looming before the break. After the clash with the Cowboys, Green Bay faces the Detroit Lions on the road before hosting a "Thursday Night Football" showdown with the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers. A trip to take on the New England Patriots and a home game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings then follow before the break.
How Packers defense is faring without Micah Parsons
Pressing on without Parsons has not been without its challenges for the Packers, who wilted down the stretch last season after their star defensive player was lost for the season in December.
Green Bay's most dramatic display on defense came in a Week 3 unraveling against the Atlanta Falcons on "Thursday Night Football." With quarterback Michael Penix Jr. returning to the lineup, Atlanta's previously dormant attack exploded for 498 yards in a 35-14 win. Running back Bijan Robinson rolled to 194 yards on the ground, while wide receiver Drake London added another 194 yards through the air.
From there, however, the Packers seemed to settle in with consecutive victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, allowing a combined 21 points in the two contests.
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Green Bay's pass rush has managed to generate a good deal of heat on opposing quarterbacks without Parsons in the fold, ranking fifth in pressure rate (42.5%), according to Next Gen Stats. Former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, who largely struggled throughout his first three years as a pro, has stepped up to help fill the void by recording 21 pressures, the 10th-highest sum of any defender in the NFL so far this year.
But with all of their wins coming against offenses that have either been muted or shorthanded – the Bears were without quarterback Caleb Williams and running back Kyle Monangai in their loss – the Packers figure to be in for a sizable test in the coming weeks. Their next three opponents rank in the top eight for both scoring and EPA per play. The defense will also be without one of its other stars for the rest of the season after linebacker Edgerrin Cooper suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 4.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Micah Parsons didn't prioritize facing Cowboys in return from injury