Packers Fans Left Watching What Could Have Been, While Micah Parsons Eyes a Premier Super Bowl Showdown
Super Bowl LX is set: Seahawks vs. Patriots.
And while fans across the league are gearing up for the big game, Green Bay Packers faithful might be feeling a little less festive. Because for Packers fans, this matchup hits a little too close to home - and not in a good way.
Let’s start with the Seahawks. If you’ve been a Packers fan for more than a minute, you know the scars.
The "Fail Mary" still stings, a Monday night heartbreaker that felt like it rewrote the rules in real time. Then there’s the 2014 NFC Championship collapse - a game Green Bay had in hand until it didn’t.
Those memories don’t fade easily, and seeing Seattle back on the sport’s biggest stage is a reminder of some of the Packers’ most gut-wrenching moments.
Now flip to the other sideline: the New England Patriots. No real animosity there, but there’s certainly history.
Brett Favre and the Packers topped the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, a proud moment in Titletown lore. But since then?
It’s been New England doing all the winning. This is their 12th Super Bowl appearance, and they've hoisted the Lombardi Trophy six times since 2000.
The Packers? Just once.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that prides itself on championship heritage.
So yeah, it would be understandable if Packers fans chose to sit this one out - maybe start diving into free agency targets or mock drafts instead. But for those who do tune in, there’s one matchup that’s got even elite NFL talent paying attention.
Micah Parsons, the Cowboys’ All-Pro pass rusher, has his eyes locked on a potential head-to-head battle between two rising stars: Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Parsons called out the duel for good reason - this could be one of the most electric one-on-one matchups of the game. Smith-Njigba has been lights out this season, hauling in 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns.
And he’s kept that momentum rolling into the playoffs, with 13 grabs for 172 yards and two scores. Most of that damage came in the NFC Championship, where he torched the Rams for 153 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side, Gonzalez has been a lockdown presence in the Patriots’ secondary. The rookie corner racked up 69 tackles and 10 passes defended during the regular season, but it’s his playoff performance that’s turning heads.
He’s added 15 tackles, four more passes defended, a sack, a forced fumble - and oh yeah, a game-sealing interception in the AFC Championship. Big-time players show up in big-time games, and Gonzalez has done just that.
Here’s where it gets even more painful for Packers fans: both of these guys could’ve been wearing green and gold.
Gonzalez was taken at No. 17 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Oregon. Smith-Njigba went three picks later at No. 20 out of Ohio State. The Packers, holding the No. 13 pick, opted for edge rusher Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa.
Now, Van Ness may very well develop into a key piece of Green Bay’s defense. But watching JSN and Gonzalez shine under the brightest lights in football - knowing they were both within reach - is a tough reality to face.
So while the Seahawks and Patriots gear up for a Super Bowl clash, Packers fans are left watching from the outside, wondering what might’ve been. And Micah Parsons? He’ll be watching too - not just for the game, but for the fireworks between two of the NFL’s brightest young stars.