With their offensive leader already watching in street clothes, the Cowboys got a massive scare on the other side of the ball to kick off the month of October.
Second-year linebacker Micah Parsons came up wincing after a play in which he appeared to get bent backward rather awkwardly. After grabbing at his lower back and sitting out a few plays, though, he was able to return.
After the 25-10 victory over Washington to improve the team’s record to 3-1, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year brushed off any injury talk.
“Nah, I feel like I just played four quarters of football. It comes with the game,” Parsons told reporters at his locker. “It’s just football.”
Overall, Parsons missed just 11 of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps on Sunday, but not all of them were due to the lower back tweak.
The coaching staff has been mindful with Parsons this season. While the high-motor Parsons was on the field for every play of Week 1, there has been an effort made to keep him fresh by giving him a few snaps off here and there over the course of each game since. His usage has been 84%, 83%, and 85% in Weeks 2 through 4.
On Sunday versus Washington, Parsons was held without a sack for the second game in a row (though he came very close on one second-quarter pressure of Carson Wentz). It’s something his defensive teammates ribbed him about all week; now the jokes will likely get a little louder in the locker room as he remains stuck on four for the young season.
“I started off good, but right now, I’ve got to finish,” Parsons told reporters following the win. “I let too many plays get away from me today where I could have finished on the quarterback. That type of stuff can’t happen; [not] what a best player would do. I do think that I’ve been able to help my teammates get better. This defense has been getting better every week. That’s the plus side, and that’s what it’s about, though. I’ve got to finish my plays for this team, though.”
More from @MicahhParsons11: "We've been making people minimize their gameplan. Really making people earn it. When you make people earn it, people don't really want to earn it no more."
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) October 2, 2022
Parsons does remain atop the team leaderboard for sacks, as Neville Gallimore and Dante Fowler got one apiece Sunday. The Cowboys currently rank second in the league in sacks, one behind Philadelphia.
The Cowboys will travel to Los Angeles to face the 2-1 Rams in Week 5. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been sacked nine time through three games.
Parsons played last Monday after fighting through a non-football illness the week prior. This past Sunday, he played his first game wearing a new helmet style, the Riddell Axiom also being worn by Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and others. It is custom-shaped to the wearer’s head and is meant to increase player safety.
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