Source: Pack’s Parsons believed to have torn ACL

DENVER — The initial belief is that Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The news was first reported by Pro Football Talk.

Parsons sustained a noncontact injury to his left knee in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos.

In the same quarter, the Packers also lost perhaps their most explosive offensive player in wide receiver Christian Watson to a chest injury.

Parsons pulled up while trying to rush Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and immediately grabbed his left knee. He was able to walk to the locker room but with a significant limp. He was ruled out in the fourth quarter.

Parsons did not record a sack Sunday, but he made his presence felt early when he forced a fumble against Broncos running back RJ Harvey on the game’s opening drive that was recovered by Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.

To date, Parsons’ first season with the Packers has been a resounding success after they traded two first-round picks plus defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys to acquire him shortly before the season. The Packers gave Parsons a four-year, $188 million contract on the same day they traded for him.

With 12.5 sacks coming into the game, Parsons is the first player in NFL history to record at least a dozen sacks in each of his first five NFL seasons. Parsons also came into Week 15 with an NFL-leading 60 pressures, 10 more than any other player in the league and the most pressures by any player within a team’s first 13 games of a season in the past seven years.

Watson was ruled out shortly after his injury, which occurred when Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II landed on top of Watson while intercepting a deep pass from Jordan Love. Watson appeared to land hard on his left shoulder, with Surtain’s body weight making it worse.

Before leaving, Watson had three catches for 29 yards in the game, and the Packers were leading 23-14.

Watson was playing in his eighth game of the season after missing the first two months while recovering from a knee injury. He had been highly productive since his return with 25 catches for 452 yards and five touchdowns.

Entering Sunday’s game, Watson’s 18.1-yard average per catch ranked fourth best in the NFL since Week 8, when he returned. Watson had five receiving touchdowns since Week 11, tied with Davante Adams for the most in the NFL over that span.