SPORTS LINE
The Green Bay Packers.
Star Micah Parsons joins Reggie White in an extremely rare club. The Packers’ star edge rusher had two more sacks on Sunday against the Vikings and made a significant piece of NFL history for the 26-year-old in the process. The National Football League made sacks an official statistic in 1982, and in the first 43 seasons, the Hall of Famer White was the only player to post double-digit sacks in his first five seasons in the league. Parsons joined that elite club on Sunday. Reggie White. Micah Parsons. That’s it. That’s the list.
Parsons had two sacks of Minnesota quarterback J.J. McCarthy and pushed his season total to 10.0 during the Packers’ 23-6 dismantling of the Vikings. Parsons, who was acquired from Dallas for two first-round draft picks on Aug. 28, had 52.5 sacks in his first four seasons with the Cowboys, posting at least 12.0 sacks every year. Parsons was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. He was also the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, a two-time first-team all-Pro in 2021 and 2022, and a second-team all-Pro in 2023.
Since arriving in Green Bay three months ago, Parsons has given the Packers the kind of pass rusher they haven’t had since White, who had six spectacular seasons with the green and gold from 1993-‘98. That was all on display as Parsons destroyed the Vikings with three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and a pair of sacks that led to 12 yards in losses. On the first sack, Parsons beat left tackle Christian Darrisaw with an inside move and dumped quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2.58 seconds. On his second sack, Parsons flew around Darrisaw and sacked McCarthy in 2.48 seconds. Parsons pressured McCarthy all afternoon and helped set up defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt for one of his two sacks. Parsons is once again one of the best defenders in the NFL this season. New uniform, same production for Micah Parsons.
When Green Bay landed Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Cowboys in August, the team was expecting an elite player who would take its defense to another level. With his 10 sacks this season, Parsons now has 62.5 in 74 career games. The four-time Pro Bowler is on pace for at least 15 sacks in 2025, which would be a career-high. The Packers gave him a four-year, $188 million deal with $120 million in guaranteed money. He has rewarded the team’s faith in him thus far.
The Milwaukee Bucks.
Andre Jackson Jr. impressed off the bench in the Milwaukee Bucks’ defeat to the Detroit Pistons. Doc Rivers finally stopped overthinking it. Rivers rolled with Andre Jackson Jr. against the Pistons and immediately saw why he should’ve done this sooner. After Cole Anthony’s hot start to the season was extinguished very quickly, the guard is potentially going to lose his spot in the rotation. It is now four straight defeats for the Bucks, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo out injured, they sit outside the play-in spots and could be cut well adrift before their two-time MVP returns. Anthony has quickly found himself losing minutes. It feels like a long time since his 23-point performance in the second game of the season, with him displaying everything the Bucks fanbase wanted to see from their new addition.
During this four-game losing streak, he has totalled 13 points and finished Saturday night’s game with five turnovers. Jackson, on the other hand, played 14 more minutes than his teammate, finishing with five assists and just two turnovers. Harris has been fine, which is exactly the problem at this moment in time. Fine doesn’t move the needle for a team missing Giannis Antetokounmpo and desperately needing energy and defensive intensity. Jackson brings both in spades, and his 29-minute performance showed exactly what Milwaukee’s been missing.
Jackson started for a good chunk of last season because of his ability to affect winning in ways that don’t always show up in traditional scoring numbers, and that versatility is exactly what Milwaukee needs during this brutal stretch without their superstar.
