The Green Bay Packers will play the Atlanta Falcons on “Thursday Night Football” without Micah Parsons, who remains sidelined while recovering from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season. Parsons has yet to play this season after undergoing surgery on a torn ACL and meniscus damage in December.
Green Bay placed Parsons on the reserve/physically unable to perform list before the season, guaranteeing that he would miss at least the first four games. The Packers have now completed two games, but they have not started the process of getting Parsons back onto the practice field.
Micah Parsons’ Return Date Still Uncertain
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Parsons is eligible to begin practicing after Green Bay’s second game under the NFL’s updated PUP rules, but the Packers have not opened his 21-day practice window.
Matt LaFleur said on Sept. 17 that Parsons could still be “a couple weeks” away from beginning practice (h/t Jason Hirschhorn of NFL.com).
Even once Parsons begins practicing, he cannot play until the Packers have completed four regular-season games. Green Bay will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, meaning Week 5 against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 11 is the earliest game in which he could potentially return.
Parsons suffered his knee injury in December 2025 while pursuing Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix. He underwent reconstructive ACL surgery on Dec. 29, with the procedure also involving meniscus repair. That additional damage has contributed to a longer rehabilitation process than a straightforward ACL recovery.
What Micah Parsons Has Said About His Return Date
Parsons had identified the Packers’ Week 6 matchup against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, on Oct. 18 as a realistic target back in August (h/t ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). However, he stopped short of guaranteeing that date, telling CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson that the Packers’ medical and training staff still had work to do before determining when he could return.
Parsons said in June that the Packers were following a nine-month recovery timeline before he returned to football activity. At that point, he expected to miss a handful of games but remained optimistic about returning during the first half of the season.
The five-time Pro Bowler had 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles and 12 tackles for loss in his first season with Green Bay. The Packers have started 1-1 in Parsons’ absence this season and are 1-5 since his injury, including the playoffs.
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