In late August, when the Dallas Cowboys made the move so titanic that NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport felt the need to tweet “this is real,” Sean Payton just sort of … shrugged.

“When a trade happens —- you’re focused on whatever you’re doing,” Payton recalled Wednesday. “So, two NFC teams make a trade, and it’s news, but.”

Now, though, the Broncos’ chase for a No. 1 seed is made significantly more complicated by the presence of Micah Parsons on the opposing sidelines Sunday. After a lengthy contract dispute with the Cowboys that had ripple effects to most every corner of the NFL world — including Denver, where star pass-rusher Nik Bonitto was trying to negotiate his own extension — Dallas owner Jerry Jones decided to cut bait with one of the best pass-rushers in the league and sent Parsons to Green Bay just before the start of the season. The lack of a training camp hasn’t hurt the 2021 first-round pick; Parsons is on pace for a career-high sack total (12.5 in 13 games with the Packers).

The Broncos didn’t see him in October, then, in taking a buzzsaw to the Cowboys’ defense in a 44-24 win. They’ll see him in December, now, as Denver tries to keep a 10-game win streak alive against a Packers opponent that’s as complete a team that they’ve seen all season. Parsons was the cherry on top. Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley coaches a sixth-ranked defense that gets after opposing quarterbacks and doesn’t get beat over the top.

“He’s extremely explosive,” Payton said of Parsons. “He’s got unique bend and balance, for someone at that position. So he’s a handful. He’s a rare-type player.”

And he’s rare in his utilization too, presenting a tougher challenge for the Broncos’ offensive line than they’ve seen all season. Next Gen Stats’ game-by-game charts of Parsons’ angles to the quarterback look they’re sketched by a child who has yet to master spatial awareness, as the Packers line the outside linebacker up at virtually every spot across their defensive line.

Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles is continuing a strong push for the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year award, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey did a bang-up job in warding off Raiders world-beater Maxx Crosby last week. But Denver’s entire front will be tested on Sunday, as Parsons is adept at rushing from the interior. This may well be the toughest game of guard Alex Palczewski’s career, who’s stabilized Denver’s offensive line in the wake of Ben Powers’ injury but has allowed nine pressures across his past three games, according to Pro Football Focus.

“He lines up to the right, to the left,” Payton said Wednesday. “You try to chart it, you try to track it. They do a good job looking at their own tendencies, self-scouting.”

Quietly, after a first-quarter start where they barely let anyone lay a finger on quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos’ offensive line has been slightly more porous in recent months. Nix has been pressured on over 30% of his dropbacks in three of his past five games, and his numbers under duress remain unsightly in an up-and-down sophomore campaign: he ranks 33rd out of 34 qualified quarterbacks in passer rating (50.1) when under pressure this season.

Shut down Parsons, and the Broncos can continue to shut down national doubt about their true identity as a contender on Sunday. Let him roam free, and their hold on the AFC will slip.