The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face a brutal schedule in 2026, as their slate of opponents ranks in the top-10 hardest leaguewide.
They’ll take all the help they can get, and they might have caught their first lucky break of the season — months before it even begins.
Micah Parsons could miss Buccaneers’ matchup vs Packers
Tampa Bay will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. It’s a critical game against a fellow NFC playoff contender, and it could ultimately have postseason implications down the line.
The Bucs’ schedule is much more difficult in the latter half of the season than the first half, so they need to stack up as many wins as they can ahead of their nightmare stretch.
Micah Parsons is the Packers’ best player, and one of the best players in the NFL overall. He’s a truly dominant pass rusher that wreaks havoc on opposing offenses.
Parsons tore his ACL late last season in a game against the Denver Broncos, and it’s possible he won’t be ready to start the season.
“The feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season and be back early on,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “He’ll be a candidate to be placed on the physically unable to perform list. Three to four games potentially missed.”
If the Packers indeed decide to place Parsons on the PUP list, he’d have to miss a mandatory four games, which would sideline him for the showdown against the Buccaneers.
The only way he would face the Bucs in that scenario is if Green Bay decides to use a roster spot on him, even while he’s unavailable.
That scenario feels unlikely, but Bucs fans should remember that Tampa Bay decided to take a risk by not placing Wirfs and Godwin on the PUP list ahead of last season.
They counted against roster spots, but it worked off as both players were able to make their debut in Week 4 — and they would’ve had to wait until Week 5 if they’d been placed on the PUP list.
Nothing is set in stone yet, but it’s something to monitor. The Green Bay Packers are a tough opponent, and it would give the Bucs a significant boost to face them without Parsons in such a crucial matchup.
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