Against rising star Jayden Daniels, the Packers have their trump card

Last year, the Packers didn't have the star power to get momentum-changing plays against the best teams. They got Micah Parsons for games exactly like Thursday night.

Micah Parsons sacked Jayden Daniels on the very first play of the game. The last time the two young superstars squared off came in Week 18 last season. The Dallas Cowboy season was coming to a merciful end, while the Commanders were locking up the 6th seed with a win. Parsons turned the corner on left tackle Brandon Coleman (now the left guard), Daniels stepped up and Parsons, as he does, hawked the rookie down.

Daniels proved last season that he’s the type of player who can win games nearly by himself. He’s the kind of virtuosic talent that can alter a franchise, with the leadership and aura to match. In games like that, teams have to be able to match a player of equal caliber.

We’ve seen Jordan Love do it for stretches. Parsons has already long arrived as such a player.

“We got horse engines now,” Parsons said of chasing Daniels around.

“I don’t see nobody (sic) outrunning me … He knows: it’s different.”

It certainly is.

Later that same opening drive, Parsons sacked Daniels again, and eventually, Dan Quinn pulled his rookie quarterback with the playoff berth already secure. That’s the play, though, Jeff Hafley will be dreaming about calling.

Parsons lined up in the A-gap, standing up over the center, and absolutely whooped him to get immediately into the backfield and finish the play for a sack.

Late in the biggest games last season, the Packers couldn’t get stops. They didn’t have a star to give them these reps when the team needed it.

They do now.