FRISCO – Until Sunday night – and into Monday morning, given the nature of the Dallas Cowboys’ dramatic 20-17 Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers – Micah Parsons had never missed a professional game due to injury.
However, he is now on the verge of missing his second consecutive game.
Dallas improved to 3-2 with the win, despite dealing with a series of injuries to its defensive end lineup. And when the Cowboys face the Detroit Lions this Sunday, those absences will still be a factor.
In training camp, the top four defensive ends on the roster were Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, and Marshawn Kneeland.
But now? Lawrence is on injured reserve, Williams is out for the season, and Kneeland, who got injured in Pittsburgh, is set to return later in the season after undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday. As for Parsons?
“He’s got some work to do,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said on Monday about Parsons’ potential to play against the Lions. “We knew this week would be a stretch.”
The Cowboys say they will “know more” about Parsons on Wednesday when the team resumes practice at The Star. In the meantime, Parsons is deep in rehab with the training staff, hoping that treatment will help heal his high ankle sprain and allow for a quick return.
The Cowboys managed to defeat Pittsburgh without him, but the Steelers’ passing game, led by Justin Fields, isn’t particularly formidable. The 3-1 Lions, however, with Jared Goff at quarterback and offensive threats like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta, pose a much bigger challenge. Parsons’ ankle injury, suffered in a win against the New York Giants, now looms large.
Since his rookie season in 2021, Parsons has been a consistent Defensive Player of the Year contender. If he does miss back-to-back games, coordinator Mike Zimmer will need some creativity on Sunday at AT&T Stadium to make up for what Parsons brings – as demonstrated in 2023 when Parsons recorded six tackles, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits in a Cowboys win over Detroit.
