The Cowboys are 4-2 coming off the bye and find themselves in the thick of the hunt. San Francisco inexplicably lost their last two contests meaning Dallas has the second fewest losses in the NFC through seven weeks.
The opening stretch was rocky, and many questions remain as the Cowboys move into the meat of their schedule. But Dallas owes thanks to a couple key players for keeping the team alive while they navigated the treacherous seas of Week 1 through Week 6.
When determining MVP, it’s natural to immediately think of the man under center and chief offensive signal caller. Without their franchise QB, there’s no telling what fate would have handed the 2023 Cowboys. Outside of the stinker in San Francisco, Dak Prescott has been the model of efficiency for the Cowboys.
Interesting nugget through seven weeks:
The most accurate QB in terms of on-target passes (per @pfref)?
Dak Prescott at 84.4%.
The least accurate?
Brock Purdy at 64.0%.
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) October 24, 2023
McCarthy has appeared to pull back on the reins and asked Prescott to operate a more conservative offense in 2023. The strategy has received mixed reviews.
But Prescott has endured and performed like the top-10 passer many know him to be. Without his play, the Cowboys would probably be lucky to be .500 at the bye, so appreciation is certainly due the 30-year-old.
But naming a QB the MVP is almost too obvious because it usually goes without saying. For as long as there’s the forward pass, QB’s will be king in the NFL. So, for the purposes of this exercise, Prescott is not in the running for Cowboys MVP.
The next most valuable player through Wsix weeks shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’s currently in the running for Defensive Player of the Year and has been deemed as a generational talent by many.
It’s none other than Micah Parsons.
Parsons, the Cowboys premier edge rusher, is on pace for over 104 pressures and over 14 sacks this season. He’s a moveable weapon for Dallas, rushing from bothleft and right side with equal efficiency.
The Cowboys have lined him up inside and ran him on stunts against players almost twice his size and he’s created havoc every step of the way.
When the Cowboys lost Leighton Vander Esch to a neck injury, Parsons took on an added workload, digesting some of the snaps at off-ball LB in Week 6. He’s been willing to do what Dan Quinn has asked of him and he’s playing in a pass-rushing unit that’s regarded as one of the best in the NFL.
Even with the bye week, Parsons is third in the NFL in total pressures. If he can physically hold up, he should be able to challenge for the top spot by season’s end and maybe win an award along the way.
Without Parsons on this Dallas roster, the entire defense would suffer. Teams would shift their double-teams to DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa, which would likely have a negative result on their respective impacts as pass rushers.
The LB corps would be further thinned, leaving more work to players like Markquese Bell, Jayron Kearse and Damone Clark.
His absence would also give passers more time in the pocket and allow receivers more time to gain separation. With the loss of Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys aren’t as secure at CB as they’d like to be. They rely on the pass rush to hurry passes and assist their depleted CB group.
Parsons is what separates this defense from all the other good offenses in the league right now. He’s the MVP six games into the season and big reason continued success should be expected from the Cowboys as they come out of the bye week.
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