CHARLOTTE, N.C. — All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons turned in his best statistical performance of the season with 2.5 sacks on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young — despite feeling sick in the first quarter.
Parsons said that he was fine when he arrived at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday morning. In fact, he said his immune system has been improved as of late since taking lemon ginger shots throughout the week.
However, before heading onto the field, a scoop of an energy powder with his teammates led to Parsons going down the deep end physically to start the game.
"Pregame, everybody was like, 'Let's take a shot of this C4' and it was something I had never done before," Parsons said. "As soon as I put it in, I was like, 'Man, this stuff is strong.'"
From there, it was downhill.
"I got some water to help put it down," Parsons recounts while laughing. "By the fifth play, it felt like my heart was about to jump out my chest. I felt like was I about to explode. Eventually, I just started throwing up. It was all coming out. I'm never doing that again. I'm sticking to my routine."
Despite that, Parsons was a frequent flyer in the backfield all night on creating pressure on Young, as even aside from his 2.5 sacks, his pure presence affected the Panthers all day.
"It just shows that they have to account for me," he said. "With me moving around and doing the things that I do, it draws more attention. There were a lot more double teams, chips and things like that. Just being impactful, that's when everyone else eats."
"It was important to make a statement for the game and get the guys going. Understanding where my opportunities were and how to get everyone else going."
With the short week approaching ahead of the Thanksgiving matchup against the Commanders, the focus is quickly shifting to the next opponent.
"Everyone is focused on a week-to-week basis. I know that as soon as we get on this plane, the focus is on the Commanders. I have three days to get my body right, so everything is maximized."
Now, if Parsons could be guaranteed a three-sack performance, would he do what he did pregame today again on Thursday?
"I might do half a scoop," he said. "I don't know if my life is worth three sacks."
