The Packers are targeting the Thanksgiving Eve game against the Rams for the return of Micah Parsons, Ian Rapoport reported, citing sources, on NFL Network. ESPN carried the report. Pro Football Talk and Yahoo Sports framed the same target as Week 12.

The outlets differ slightly on the date. ESPN and Rapoport's own post, as shared on r/nfl, say Thanksgiving Eve. NFL Trade Rumors' headline says Parsons is hoping to return "on Thanksgiving" against the Rams. Its text still describes the Rams game as the target, so that is probably loose wording. The Rams are the one opponent all five items agree on.

Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper adds that head coach Matt LaFleur said this week he hopes Parsons starts practicing with the team next week. That is the first step. Per NFL Trade Rumors, Parsons went on the PUP list at the start of training camp and has stayed there while rehabbing the knee injury from last December. The piece says some people initially thought he could return sooner. The feed summary cuts off before saying how much sooner, so we can't say what the earlier expectation was. None of the reporting says whether he will be activated before practicing, or how many practices he needs.

The last time Parsons played, he was productive. BenchScout's tables show 12.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 41 total tackles in 14 games in 2025. The Packers have had to go through this season without that pass rush.

They are 5-3 and fourth in the NFC North. They are two games behind the 6-0 Vikings and 1.5 behind the 5-2 Bears. Green Bay's run differential is +7. Thursday's 27-19 win over Carolina followed a 20-17 loss at Detroit on Oct. 25, and before that a 23-13 win over Dallas on Oct. 18.

The Rams are 3-4 and lead the NFC West by no one: they trail the 6-1 49ers by three games. Even so, a Parsons return would come at a point when Green Bay is still chasing Minnesota.

Before then, the Packers play at New England on Sunday, Nov. 8. The next marker is whether Parsons is back at practice next week, as LaFleur hopes. That would be the first sign the Week 12 target is holding.