Source: Packers’ Micah Parsons believed to have torn ACL

DENVER — The initial belief is that Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Sunday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Pro Football Talk first reported the news.

Parsons sustained a noncontact injury to his left knee in the third quarter of Green Bay’s 34-26 loss to the Denver Broncos.

“It didn’t look good. I’ll leave it at that,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said.

In the same quarter, Packers wide receiver Christian Watson, the team’s most explosive offensive player, suffered a chest injury and left the game. Watson was taken to a hospital for further evaluation and traveled back to Green Bay with the team.

“That’s obviously a really tough night in a lot of ways in regards to losing the football game,” LaFleur said. “Give Denver a ton of credit. That’s a really good football team. I thought it was a dogfight for most of the game, and then they kind of ran away with it in the second half.

“It was also a double whammy for us, just losing some pieces that are critical for our success. But that’s the name of the game. I told the guys nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to rally around one another. Everybody’s going to have to elevate their play.”

Parsons suffered the injury while trying to rush Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and immediately grabbed his left knee. He walked to the locker room with a significant limp. He was ruled out in the fourth quarter.

Parsons did not record a sack Sunday, but he made his presence felt early when he forced a fumble against Broncos running back RJ Harvey on the game’s opening drive that was recovered by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

Parsons’ first season with the Packers has been a resounding success after they traded two first-round picks plus defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys to acquire him shortly before the season. The Packers gave Parsons a four-year, $188 million contract on the same day they traded for him.

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With 12.5 sacks coming into the game, Parsons is the first player in NFL history to record at least a dozen sacks in each of his first five NFL seasons. Parsons also came into Week 15 with an NFL-leading 60 pressures, 10 more than any other player in the league and the most pressures by any player within a team’s first 13 games of a season in the past seven years.

Watson was ruled out shortly after his injury, which occurred when Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II landed on top of Watson while intercepting a deep pass from Jordan Love. Watson appeared to land hard on his left shoulder, with Surtain’s body weight making it worse.

Before leaving, Watson had three catches for 29 yards, and the Packers were leading 23-14.

Watson was playing in his eighth game of the season after missing the first two months while recovering from a knee injury. He had been highly productive since his return, with 25 catches for 452 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Entering Sunday’s game, Watson’s 18.1-yard average per catch ranked fourth in the NFL since Week 8, when he returned. Watson had five receiving touchdowns since Week 11, tied with Davante Adams for the most in the NFL over that span.

“Since Christian’s been back from his rehab, he’s done some great things and been that explosive playmaker that we needed,” Love said. “With him going out, I think we still got plenty of depth in that receiver room and other guys that played plenty of ball and can step up and make plays. I think we’ll have no problem filling that void if he’s got to miss time.”

The Packers also finished the game without right tackle Zach Tom and safety Evan Williams, both of whom sustained knee injuries, but neither is believed to be a long-term injury.