Micah Parsons was the missing puzzle of the Green Bay Packers’ defense. His arrival has turned the Packers into one of the best defenses in the league right now. But not everyone is buying into the hype. On The Herd, Colin Cowherd has made Parsons his latest talking point, calling him a “splash player” who isn’t versatile enough to be considered elite.

“Cleveland’s not moving off Myles Garrett. Raiders aren’t moving off Max Crosby. Steelers aren’t moving off T.J. Watt. Why? Because those are versatile edge rushers. Micah’s not. In his run with the Dallas Cowboys, they were 23rd against the run. They got sacks, they got pressure — they were 23rd against the run,” Cowherd said on his show today, only to get a befitting reply from Micah Parsons.

“Lol should I do it?” Parsons responded to Colin’s criticism via X.

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Fair enough. Cowherd’s criticism was unnecessary, perhaps. But you cannot ignore one point Colin pointed out. He added how the Cowboys‘ defense ranked 31st with him last season, and they’re in the same place this year without him. He essentially called him one-dimensional after drawing a parallel with WR Tyreek Hill.

“Tyreek Hill’s never been a great blocker, he doesn’t run great routes, but he’ll probably make the Hall of Fame because man, he is great with the deep ball,” he said.

And this feud started on Tuesday itself, after Packers’ defeat to the Eagles.

“Micah’s rep has always been, he is a splash player. A remarkable, athletic splash player. He’s not good against the run,” Cowherd said on Tuesday.”

But we all know how Micah is, he never lets unnecessary criticism slide. He was quick to fire back today, and he was quicker to fire back on Tuesday.

“We just held Saquon Barkley to 60 rushing yards, and our only losses have been holding teams to 13 points. Man, sometimes can y’all? Please stfu and enjoy great defense! Please stop giving people’s mics or listening to trash!” Micah wrote on X.

His argument clearly failed to sway Colin Cowherd, who still believes that he is the problem. It’s a little surprising considering the fact that the defense is the Packers‘ least of concerns.

Micah Parsons has elevated the Packers’ defense

If there was one clear takeaway from the Packers’ loss to the Eagles, it’s that the issues in Green Bay don’t sit on the defensive side of the ball. Pinning that defeat on Micah Parsons, or on his supposed lack of versatility, misses the mark entirely. In fact, you could make a pretty convincing case that the Packers are only in this conversation because of him.

Parsons has totaled 22 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks, and he sits third in the league with 50 pressures. The Packers, meanwhile, own the sixth-best rushing defense in football. If you go back and look at their three losses to the Eagles, Panthers, and Browns, the numbers would tell everything you need to know.

They allowed 10 points, 16 points, and 13 points in those games. That’s not a defensive problem. Has Parsons matched the otherworldly standard he’s set over the past few years? Maybe not. But he’s still producing at an elite level, and he’s still the tone-setter for a defense that’s quietly become one of the most reliable groups in the NFL.

Green Bay ranks sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (91.8), giving up just 3.8 yards per carry, and sits seventh in total yards allowed. What they need now is for Jordan Love and the receiving corps to carry their share of the load. So, when Parsons fires back at criticism that feels misplaced? He’s not wrong.