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Parsons did for the Cowboys’ defense what Prescott couldn’t for the offense in the Cowboys’ dreary 19-9 loss to Kansas City.
By Kevin Sherrington
6:22 PM on Nov 22, 2021
When giving thanks this week for your many blessings, Cowboys fans, remember that your football team plays in the NFC East instead of the AFC West, home of the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos and Thursday’s Thanksgiving guests, the Raiders, who’d no doubt like some of the turkey that Kansas City carved up Sunday.
Just the same, it’s not like the Cowboys shouldn’t be grateful for favors from the AFC West. For instance, if not for Denver’s decision on draft day, the Cowboys wouldn’t enjoy the services of Micah Parsons.
Can we get an amen?
Parsons did for the Cowboys’ defense what Dak Prescott couldn’t for the offense in the Cowboys’ dreary 19-9 loss to Kansas City. Time for the $160 million quarterback to take a page from the precocious rookie, and quick, before a promising season goes off the rails.
For the second time in three games, Dak looked erratic and, worse, lost. He set a tone on the first play of the game, wildly overthrowing a lonely Michael Gallup.
As much as you hate to heap too much significance on any one act, it looked a little too familiar.
In the loss to Denver, the start of this recent malaise, Dak’s mechanics were out of whack. His ability to diagnose a defense suddenly deserted him, too. As a result, his uncharacteristic performance seemed to affect impressionable teammates shaken by the example of their leader. Before you knew it, formerly reliable receivers suddenly developed a case of the drops and the offense never really recovered.
A magnificent performance across the board against the hapless Falcons seemed to resolve the issues Denver raised, but they returned to the fore Sunday. No, it wasn’t all Dak’s fault. Back-up receivers dropped passes just like the stars did against Denver, and the offensive line sprung leaks everywhere. The coaching staff probably didn’t help matters by picking a bad time and place to sub Connor McGovern for Connor Williams at left guard. The noise at Arrowhead makes it a tough place for visitors to communicate, meaning you need to have a good understanding of the guy next to you in the offensive line. The Cowboys might have gotten away with it had Tyron Smith been ready to play at left tackle, as they no doubt figured he would. But, with Smith out, the left side was manned by Terence Steele and McGovern, who haven’t had much time to get acquainted.
Dak didn’t get much help on offense, but he didn’t do anything to lift the level of play, either. Which is what MVP-level quarterbacks are paid to do. Instead he responded with a season-low rating of 57.9, even uglier than his 73.9 against Denver.
The Cowboys have gone to great lengths to make the offense Dak-friendly. Traded a first-rounder for Amari Cooper. Used a first-rounder on CeeDee Lamb. Invested approximately $30 million a year in the offensive line. And, for the most part, it’s paid off. Even after Sunday’s no-show, the Cowboys still rank first in the NFL in yards per game (418.1) and third in points (29.3).
But Dak needs to prove he doesn’t always need the high-dollar parts to be effective.
Parsons offers a nice example.
The rookie, mostly lined up at defensive end because of injuries to Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, collected a strip sack, another sack and a tackle for loss that could have counted for a third sack. His 12 quarterback pressures tied for the most in the NFL in the last five seasons. His eight sacks overall ties Parsons with DeMarcus Ware’s eight as a rookie in 2005.
Mentioning Parsons and Ware in the same sentence on the telecast didn’t seem to offend the Hall of Famer.
“Oooohh weeee,” D-Ware tweeted.
Because of injuries and mediocre depth, Parsons has had to add defensive end to his linebacker duties. He’s been so good at both, it’s hard to say what he does best. A breathtaking combination of speed, power and athleticism. Frankly, he reminds me less of Ware than he does Lawrence Taylor, who, by the way, had 91/2 sacks as a rookie for the Giants.
Parsons, Gregory and Trevon Diggs — along with a little smoke and mirrors from Dan Quinn — have made the Cowboys’ defense look better than it really is. Before Parsons asserted himself Sunday, the Chiefs were on the verge of blowing out the Cowboys. Scored on their first three possessions. Kansas City’s running game gouged out large chucks of the Cowboys’ defensive front. Anthony Brown covered Tyreek Hill like he was afraid he had COVID.
But, once Parsons disrupted Patrick Mahomes’ concentration, the Chiefs’ offense basically bellied up. Parsons, working with a unit that doesn’t have nearly as much invested in it as the offense does, made the defense look golden. Faced with the probability that Cooper and Lamb won’t be available against Vegas, Dak must follow Parsons’ example.
Imagine where the Cowboys would be if the Broncos, picking ninth in last spring’s draft, hadn’t taken Patrick Surtain II, the Cowboys’ intended draft target, and left Dallas to choose Parsons at 12. While you’re at it, imagine that I didn’t complain about it at the time. In my defense, it certainly seemed like Parsons was just another linebacker. My bad.
By Kevin Sherrington
6:22 PM on Nov 22, 2021
When giving thanks this week for your many blessings, Cowboys fans, remember that your football team plays in the NFC East instead of the AFC West, home of the Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos and Thursday’s Thanksgiving guests, the Raiders, who’d no doubt like some of the turkey that Kansas City carved up Sunday.
Just the same, it’s not like the Cowboys shouldn’t be grateful for favors from the AFC West. For instance, if not for Denver’s decision on draft day, the Cowboys wouldn’t enjoy the services of Micah Parsons.
Can we get an amen?
Parsons did for the Cowboys’ defense what Dak Prescott couldn’t for the offense in the Cowboys’ dreary 19-9 loss to Kansas City. Time for the $160 million quarterback to take a page from the precocious rookie, and quick, before a promising season goes off the rails.
For the second time in three games, Dak looked erratic and, worse, lost. He set a tone on the first play of the game, wildly overthrowing a lonely Michael Gallup.
As much as you hate to heap too much significance on any one act, it looked a little too familiar.
In the loss to Denver, the start of this recent malaise, Dak’s mechanics were out of whack. His ability to diagnose a defense suddenly deserted him, too. As a result, his uncharacteristic performance seemed to affect impressionable teammates shaken by the example of their leader. Before you knew it, formerly reliable receivers suddenly developed a case of the drops and the offense never really recovered.
A magnificent performance across the board against the hapless Falcons seemed to resolve the issues Denver raised, but they returned to the fore Sunday. No, it wasn’t all Dak’s fault. Back-up receivers dropped passes just like the stars did against Denver, and the offensive line sprung leaks everywhere. The coaching staff probably didn’t help matters by picking a bad time and place to sub Connor McGovern for Connor Williams at left guard. The noise at Arrowhead makes it a tough place for visitors to communicate, meaning you need to have a good understanding of the guy next to you in the offensive line. The Cowboys might have gotten away with it had Tyron Smith been ready to play at left tackle, as they no doubt figured he would. But, with Smith out, the left side was manned by Terence Steele and McGovern, who haven’t had much time to get acquainted.
Dak didn’t get much help on offense, but he didn’t do anything to lift the level of play, either. Which is what MVP-level quarterbacks are paid to do. Instead he responded with a season-low rating of 57.9, even uglier than his 73.9 against Denver.
The Cowboys have gone to great lengths to make the offense Dak-friendly. Traded a first-rounder for Amari Cooper. Used a first-rounder on CeeDee Lamb. Invested approximately $30 million a year in the offensive line. And, for the most part, it’s paid off. Even after Sunday’s no-show, the Cowboys still rank first in the NFL in yards per game (418.1) and third in points (29.3).
But Dak needs to prove he doesn’t always need the high-dollar parts to be effective.
Parsons offers a nice example.
The rookie, mostly lined up at defensive end because of injuries to Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence, collected a strip sack, another sack and a tackle for loss that could have counted for a third sack. His 12 quarterback pressures tied for the most in the NFL in the last five seasons. His eight sacks overall ties Parsons with DeMarcus Ware’s eight as a rookie in 2005.
Mentioning Parsons and Ware in the same sentence on the telecast didn’t seem to offend the Hall of Famer.
“Oooohh weeee,” D-Ware tweeted.
Because of injuries and mediocre depth, Parsons has had to add defensive end to his linebacker duties. He’s been so good at both, it’s hard to say what he does best. A breathtaking combination of speed, power and athleticism. Frankly, he reminds me less of Ware than he does Lawrence Taylor, who, by the way, had 91/2 sacks as a rookie for the Giants.
Parsons, Gregory and Trevon Diggs — along with a little smoke and mirrors from Dan Quinn — have made the Cowboys’ defense look better than it really is. Before Parsons asserted himself Sunday, the Chiefs were on the verge of blowing out the Cowboys. Scored on their first three possessions. Kansas City’s running game gouged out large chucks of the Cowboys’ defensive front. Anthony Brown covered Tyreek Hill like he was afraid he had COVID.
But, once Parsons disrupted Patrick Mahomes’ concentration, the Chiefs’ offense basically bellied up. Parsons, working with a unit that doesn’t have nearly as much invested in it as the offense does, made the defense look golden. Faced with the probability that Cooper and Lamb won’t be available against Vegas, Dak must follow Parsons’ example.
Imagine where the Cowboys would be if the Broncos, picking ninth in last spring’s draft, hadn’t taken Patrick Surtain II, the Cowboys’ intended draft target, and left Dallas to choose Parsons at 12. While you’re at it, imagine that I didn’t complain about it at the time. In my defense, it certainly seemed like Parsons was just another linebacker. My bad.
