Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons a bright spot during team’s dismal loss against Bucs
There weren’t many bright spots in the Dallas Cowboys’ 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as quarterback Dak Prescott was sustained a right thumb injury that will keep him out at least several weeks.
But budding superstar Micah Parsons was still able to shine in defeat.
Coming off a 13-sack year that earned him the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Parsons made good on the hype around him as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
He was one of the main reasons the Cowboys remained in the game despite the struggles of the entire offense.
“It felt good to just get my feet in the water and just try and go out there and play my best performance. Obviously, it was not enough. We’ve got to do a whole lot more,” Parsons said.
Parsons had two sacks in the first half that stopped potential touchdowns by Tom Brady and the Bucs offense.
“I thought Micah was extremely productive, he got a lot of attention,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “I thought he was impactful like we need him to be and saw a lot of good things.”
He used his speed to blast past Donovan Smith with a spin move to bring down Brady midway through the second quarter. It was a move Parsons added to his toolbag this offseason as he looks to keep improving after being named an All-Pro as a rookie.
“I worked on a lot this offseason,” Parsons said. “Everything’s showing. I put a lot of work in. This is the year I want to turn this up.”
The ensuing field goal was missed as Dallas continued to hang around. Parsons helped avoid another touchdown a few minutes later after Prescott was picked off by Antoine Winfield.
Parsons easily ripped past Josh Wells on the third-and-goal sack that forced Tampa’s fourth field goal attempt of the first half.
It was hard for Parsons to truly be satisfied with his performance considering the lopsided score, but sacking Brady was still a special moment for him.
“This is my first time and this (season) could be his last hoorah. So it was pretty cool, but it was really nice to just get out there and compete,” Parsons said.
All things considered, the defense played well and did enough to keep the Cowboys in the game. With how mightily the offense struggled on Sunday, this could be common until Prescott returns and the Cowboys heal up at receiver and along the offensive line.
“We held them to a bunch of field goals and one offensive touchdown. With how explosive their offense is that’s good, but we have to do more,” Parsons said. “We have to take it to the next level. We have to own it on this film, look at these mistakes we made and get ready for this tough matchup we have this week.”
The heroics of Parsons will be needed more than ever now and the second-year star seems primed to deliver when called upon.
With Prescott out at least a few weeks with the injury, the defense will need to lead the way. Parsons said the confidence of the unit remains high despite Sunday’s defeat.
“We’ve got 16 more games, this season is far from over,” he said. “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. As long as I’m on this team I’m going to forever stay hungry.”
The injury to Prescott and other offensive injuries will thrust Parsons into an even bigger leadership role as Dallas will be more short-handed. If he performs like he did Sunday that’ll only strengthen his case for the league’s highest defensive honor.
