You could see it hit Rashan Gary hard. He just froze for a full 12 seconds, staring off, trying to find the words when someone asked about Micah Parsons in that quiet visitors' locker room.

"It hurts to see," Gary finally said, his voice low. "We're gonna miss him big time on this defense."

Parsons has been one of the top two defensive beasts in the NFL this year, right up there with Cleveland's Myles Garrett. Now, reports from all over say he's likely out for the season with a torn ACL from Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. More tests will confirm it, but Packers coach Matt LaFleur and pretty much everyone knows what's coming.

"Doesn't look good," LaFleur said flat-out when they asked if it's a torn ACL. "That's all I'll say."

Talk about bad luck. Parsons was doing what he does best, rushing the QB, Bo Nix, when his left leg planted weirdly, he heard a pop late in the third quarter, and Green Bay ended up losing 34-26. Parsons himself told his buddy, Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II, that's what happened. Surtain was one of a few Broncos guys who came over to check on him before trainers helped him hobble off the field toward the tunnel. James Palmer on the "Scoop City" podcast broke that down.

You didn't need words to get it. The pain on Parsons' face, him grabbing his left knee, that clear pop with nobody even touching him, and his teammates kneeling around him, it painted the whole picture. Then the quiet post-game comments from the guys who have to step up just made it sting worse. This is a crushing hit for a team that was legit talking about the Super Bowl.

Another killer year from a guy who's a lock for the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, and poof, it's probably over. That takes the Packers' real shot at a title down with it. Sunday was just another kick in the teeth, showing how brutal this game can be.

"The season ain't over," said team captain and safety Xavier McKinney. "So, shit, we got work to do. It's a huge loss, but we got good players. Saying that would be like dissing all our other D-linemen, calling them worthless, but they're not. They were solid before he got here. He lifted everybody up in tons of ways, and even without him playing, he's the type who'll still guide them, like what moves to hit with and all that. We'll miss him on the field, but mentally, he's gonna be right there with us, and that's what we're counting on."

Guys like McKinney can keep saying the season's still alive, and yeah, technically they're right. But keeping those Super Bowl dreams breathing? That's gonna take some superhero stuff, starting with Gary and spreading to everyone on D and even offense.

Right after the game, Gary, another captain and Parsons' backup at defensive end, pulled the whole defensive front together in the locker room for a huddle.

"Just the obvious stuff," defensive tackle Karl Brooks said about Gary's talk. "We gotta step up. Stay on top of our game. That's it."

Sounds easy, right? But good luck replacing Parsons. Remember that massive trade the Packers pulled off right before the season? They shipped their next two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for him. It shook the whole league. Suddenly, a generational pass rusher was rocking green and gold at 1265 Lombardi Ave. Fans thought he might be the final piece to bring the Lombardi Trophy back. The roar at Lambeau when No. 11 came out last in Week 1 intros? You could feel it from Green Bay to Appleton and everywhere in between.

Parsons delivered exactly what they paid for. Through 14 weeks, he was neck-and-neck with Garrett for Defensive Player of the Year and cruising toward his third first-team All-Pro nod in five years. He hit 12.5 sacks by Thanksgiving, including 2.5 in that big win over the Lions. That made him the first guy since they started tracking sacks in 1982 to get 12 or more in each of his first five seasons. No wonder folks compared him to Reggie White, one of the six legends with his number up on Lambeau's wall.

Heading into Week 15, TruMedia had him third in the NFL for sacks, third in total pressures, and second in pressure rate. He kicked off the Denver game by forcing a fumble that LB Edgerrin Cooper scooped up on a rush from R.J. Harvey. Just more proof Parsons shuts down the run too, sorry, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Teams threw everything at him: O-linemen, tight ends, backs, even the equipment guys and parking crew, it felt like. No holding calls his way, but he kept grinding. That's why GM Brian Gutekunst went all-in, betting his job on a season like this.

"We all know the player he is and how he's changed our team," LaFleur said. "Losing him? Tough pill."

Now everybody's watching Gary to carry the pass-rush load. He wouldn't say it out loud Sunday night, but the pressure's on. He's pulling $24 million a year, but zero sacks in the last seven games after 7.5 in the first seven. As of Sunday night, TruMedia ranked him 41st in pressure percentage among guys with 200+ pass-rush snaps. That's not the stat line you expect from that paycheck.

Still, DC Jeff Hafley went to bat for him last week, talking up Gary's run defense and how teams game-plan to stop him. Hafley even called him "playing really well," so maybe us stat nerds gotta trust the coach and hope Gary steps into those giant Parsons-sized shoes to keep the D from sinking.

Gary chatted with Parsons after the loss, told him to keep his head up and that they'd finish strong for him. Now Gary, the offense, the whole squad, they gotta prove it with plays, turning those Super Bowl hopes from pipe dream to real deal.

"Here's what I got to say," Gary put it. "Rest of the season, what, three games left? Watch how the front plays. Tons of chances coming these next three weeks, and we gotta cash in. You'll see."

The shock from Sunday will fade eventually, however long it takes. The 9-4-1 Packers head to Chicago for a Saturday night showdown with the division-leading 10-4 Bears. They can grab the NFC North top spot again, like they did just a week before the Denver nightmare, but this time on the road.

That Broncos loss dropped Green Bay from No. 2 to No. 7 in the NFC after coughing up a nine-point lead. They're not locked into the playoffs yet. They lead the Lions by 1.5 games for the last wild-card with a season sweep over Detroit already in the bag and three games to go. Playoffs? Probably. But man, that road got rougher with Bears, Ravens, and Vikings left. Not just Parsons, three other key guys went down in Denver too.

WR Christian Watson, one of the league's best deep threats since his ACL comeback in Week 8, took a chest hit early in the third quarter when Surtain landed on him after picking off a Jordan Love bomb. The Packers were up 23-14 then, before it all unraveled. Watson went to a local hospital for scans but flew back with the team Sunday night. No word yet on when he's back.

Franchise RT Zach Tom and starting safety Evan Williams both got knee tweaks and sat out the rest. LaFleur says they're not gone long-term, but they might miss weeks while tests come back. Add in star TE Tucker Kraft's season-ending ACL in Week 9, plus earlier lower-leg blows that sidelined No. 1 DT Devonte Wyatt and starting C Elgton Jenkins.

Packers are banged up bad right now, a walking injury ward. But like LaFleur said from the Denver podium, no pity party's coming. They crumble from losing their best guy, or they pull off some epic late surge nobody outside Lambeau sees coming.

"I know we've got a tight team," LaFleur said. "I trust how our guys bounce back."