Packers' Micah Parsons begins practicing as he gets closer to making his 2026 season debut

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament already has tested Green Bay’s Micah Parsons’ patience in a variety of ways.

Those challenges will only get tougher now that Parsons is nearing a return and realizing it may take some time for him to recapture his All-Pro form. Parsons performed individual drills in practice Wednesday in the latest step in his comeback as he gets ready to play for the first time since his Dec. 14 injury.

“My conditioning right now is probably the worst it’s been in my career,” Parsons said. “That’s just the reality of it. Am I going to go out there and play 50, 60 snaps how I was doing before? Absolutely not. It’s just not realistic. My body’s not there yet. I don’t think my knee’s built for that yet. I didn’t go through training camp.

“So, am I going to be the All-Pro Micah, the person I once was this year? Probably not until later, after I go through all my phases and things like that, but I think what people will see is they’re going to see, ‘This guy’s ready to play football and he’s going to play hard and he’s going to help boost this defense, which is already doing a great job.’ I think those type of things you won’t question.”

Parsons’ return to practice means the Packers now have 21 days before they need to activate him from the physically unable to perform list. That would put him right in line to make his season debut Nov. 25 when the Packers visit the Los Angeles Rams, though Parsons isn’t making any timetable regarding his potential return date.

“I’m not going to pinpoint a day to disappoint anyone or get people expectations that I can’t meet,” Parsons said. “I’ve got to stack 20 days, and hopefully on that 21st day I feel incredible.”

Parsons' return to practice provided a major morale boost for the Packers (5-3) as they got ready for Sunday's road game with the New England Patriots (5-3).

“We know it’ll be probably a couple weeks to get him back in the swing of things, but just to have him back out there on the practice field, to know that he’ll be coming back soon, is great,” quarterback Jordan Love said.

Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 13 games for the Packers last season before tearing the ACL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 loss at Denver. The Packers acquired Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys just before the start of the 2025 season and signed him to a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed.

Parsons’ value to the Packers is apparent from the way they performed with and without him last year. The Packers owned a 9-3-1 record and were leading the Broncos when he got hurt. They went on to lose that game and wouldn’t win again the rest of the season.

Green Bay's defense has done quite well without Parsons this year. The Packers are allowing 4.7 yards per play to rank third in the NFL. They have 2.8 sacks per game, putting them in a tie for seventh.

That defense should be even more dangerous once it has its top playmaker again. It's been a long road back for Parsons, who credited Packers director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer Nate Weir for guiding him through his recovery from an injury that included meniscus damage as well as the ACL tear.

“When I needed a fatherly figure, he was a father,” Parsons said. “When I needed a friend, he was a friend. When I needed a trainer, he was a trainer. He adapted. He grew.”

Parsons knows he's going to have to adapt as well once he gets back on the field and tries shaking off the rust.

“I think you’ll see flashes of All-Pro Micah when I get to pass rush, and there’s going to be times when you’re going to be like, ‘Dang, what was Micah doing?’ ” Parsons said. “There’s going to be times when I question myself, too. Like, what was I doing right there? I’m not ashamed of that. I’m not afraid of seeing the failure because I just came back from 11-month injury.”

NOTES: LB Zaire Franklin (shin), OL Travis Glover (knee), C Sean Rhyan (ankle) and TE Josh Whyle (concussion) didn't practice Wednesday. Franklin has missed Green Bay's last two games. Glover and Rhyan didn't play in the Packers' 27-19 win over Carolina on Thursday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons practices Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Steve Megargee) Photo taken with smartphone.

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Micah Parsons watches warm ups before an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Green Bay, Wis., Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders already came through one gauntlet this season, losing four games in a row to teams that all could make legitimate arguments to be Super Bowl contenders.

Even after emerging from that series of games, Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak said last week his team remained “in the hunt” for a playoff spot. A victory followed over the New York Jets on Sunday to get back to .500, and Kubiak's words seem especially timely.

But here comes another set of games against some more of the NFL's top teams that will decide whether the Raiders are true playoff contenders. The Raiders visit San Francisco on Sunday, then host Seattle and play at Denver.

“This is November football,” cornerback Eric Stokes said. “This is what you live for, this is what you want, especially 4-4 and everything still in our power. So this is exactly what we want coming up.”

For the Raiders to have a realistic chance to make the postseason, they likely would need to run the table against a trio of teams that are a combined 16-7. That includes the 4-4 Seahawks coming off a Super Bowl title in which Kubiak was their offensive coordinator.

“It is November,” left tackle Kolton Miller said. “This is really deciding every year, you're either going to get better or you're going to fall off. Every game's going to be a big test to what's ahead. That's in the back of your mind, but you have to put all your attention into winning week to week.”

Winning the next three games would put the Raiders at 7-4, and of the 27 teams with that record since the playoff field expanded from 12 to 14 teams in 2020, 23 made the postseason.

Anything less than that is especially bad news for Las Vegas — 11 of 29 teams at 6-5 have made the playoffs, seven of 23 at 5-6 and three of 30 at 4-7.

Which makes each week essentially a must-win.

“If you treat it that way, then you’ll have success throughout the season," Kubiak said. "So we just keep our blinders on and focus on one opponent at a time.”

The next opponent will be difficult enough when the two former Bay Area rivals meet this weekend. The 6-1 49ers are 9 1/2-point favorites.

But even as unlikely as a playoff berth appears to be at this point, it wouldn't be a discussion at all if Las Vegas hadn't rallied to beat the Jets.

“It was huge,” Stokes said. “Everybody knows that. We needed the (win) and we got it done.”

Should the Raiders pull off a trifecta over the next three weeks, it would be their third playoff appearance since making the Super Bowl in 2002 season.

Because of that general lack of success that includes 11 combined victories over the previous three years, this was considered a rebuilding season. At the center of that project is quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who was drafted No. 1 overall this year.

He has made one appearance this season. Kirk Cousins is the starter and has done little to lose his job. He is second in the NFL with 19 touchdown passes and the Raiders are sixth with 27.6 points per game.

Kubiak's comment about being in the hunt were related to his statement that Cousins is the starter and not Mendoza. Whether the Raiders go with Mendoza once/if the team is eliminated from the playoff race remains to be seen, but the club certainly isn't rushing him onto the field.

“From the ‘60s, I remember when quarterbacks would sit on the bench for three years before they got a shot to do it,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said on CNBC. “Today, there's a lot of pressure put on teams when they draft a guy No. 1 that you've got to play him right away. I think that's why we are so fortunate to get someone like Kirk Cousins as somebody that could bridge the gap and let this young man learn a lot about what football is in the pros.”

Second-year cornerback Darien Porter (groin), who was injured against the Jet, did not practice Wednesday. He has shared the position with rookies Hezekiah Masses and Jermod McCoy.

Defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway (stinger) was not given an injury designation.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak celebrates after his team made an interception against the New York Jets during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) celebrates after Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jalen Nailor (9) scored a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)