Cowboys Injury Report: Micah Parsons battling illness before Eagles clash

The Christmas Eve clash between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles lost nearly all of its significance the second Dallas lost to Jacksonville. Throw in the fact that Jalen Hurts is doubtful to play due to a right shoulder sprain, and this game-of-the-year contender has quickly morphed into a potential snoozer.

While the game itself could be entertaining — and will in all likelihood draw monster ratings given the rivalry and holiday appeal — it was just a few days ago that Micah Parsons and company had a chance to draw one game behind Philadelphia for both the NFC East lead and top seed in the conference.

For now, the Cowboys still have everything to play for, and they’ll need their best players on the field Saturday evening at AT&T Stadium.

While Dallas will be without Johnathan Hankins and Leighton Vander Esch, the initial injury report was largely positive all things considered.

The only kicker? Micah Parsons was listed as a DNP with an illness.

Cowboys Injury Report: Micah Parsons out of practice with an illness.

This is not the news any Cowboys fan wants to hear. If you remember, Parsons missed last season’s Week 18 clash against Philly with COVID-19. The virus cost him the opportunity to break the single-season rookie sack record. Figures Parsons is combatting another illness the week Dallas gets the Eagles, right?

In non-Parsons news, Dorance Armstrong, Noah Brown, Jake Ferguson, DeMarcus Lawrence and Jayron Kearse were all limited.

Armstrong left Week 14 in a walking boot, but healed in time to play Sunday against Jacksonville, albeit in a part-time role.

The fifth-year pro played just 14 snaps (20%); his lowest snap share of the season by some margin. Dallas’ pass rush has struggled with Armstrong nursing a knee injury. Suffice it to say they need him back healthy for the playoffs, but the fact he was limited suggests he’ll be out there on Christmas Eve.

Getting back to Parsons, Mike McCarthy confirmed the superstar defender will miss practice again Wednesday due to his illness. It’s not panic time yet, but Parsons has just two days to return to practice to have a shot at suiting up Saturday.

Elsewhere, it’s nice to see Jake Ferguson back at practice after he missed Week 15 in concussion protocol. Noah Brown was also limited with a foot injury. Brown came up big for the Cowboys against the Jaguars (before his costly overtime drop). It’ll be interesting to see who’d fill his shoes if he can’t go this week.

Let’s hope Parsons is able to shake this bug off in time for Saturday. After missing Week 18 against the Eagles last season — and playing them without Dak Prescott in their first meeting this year — you just know the the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year is itching to get another crack at Nick Sirianni’s group.