It's one game, but the Dallas Cowboys' defense played like a championship-level unit as they thrashed the Giants 40-0 on Sunday Night Football. The entire defense got in on the fun, but Micah Parsons -- as he usually is -- was the best player on the field for America's Team.
Parsons only logged one sack, but he finished with six pressures and impacted the game by consuming two or three blockers at a time to collapse the pocket.
Ultimately, though, it was a collective effort on defense and Parsons vehemently believes the Cowboys flaunt the NFL's top defense.
After the game, the two-time All-Pro took to social media and had a savage message for the naysayers who didn't buy into the hype.
Y’all thought this was a game?! 👀 #doomsday
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) September 11, 2023
Cowboys News: Micah Parsons has 'doomsday' hopes for Dallas' D, Eagles already battling injuries
Parsons took a similar approach speaking to reporters postgame.
He believes the Cowboys have adopted Mike McCarthy's 'Carpe Omnia' mantra for the season, which means to "seize everything". It sure looked like it Sunday night, as Dallas racked up seven sacks, a defensive touchdown, two interceptions and limited the Giants to 171 yards of offense and 2.6 yards per play.
"“I believe (we played like one of those championship defenses). The turnovers, the relentlessness, the effort by all 11, even the guys that came in in the fourth quarter and helped finish the shutout. All across the board, I think everyone is locked in and committed to this team . . . We're making the statement that I've been trying to make: we're the best defense in the National Football League." "Micah Parsons, via The Athletic
It's unlikely the Cowboys' defense performs at a historic level each week, but Parsons' comments (and tweet) are spot on. Probably time for all the Dallas cynics out there to let down their guard and admit this is a Super Bowl-level defense.
Micah Parsons admires the NFL’s greatest defenses, the ones that led their teams to Super Bowls. He envisions the Cowboys playing at that level, which he thought they did Sunday night.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 11, 2023
“We stayed on them. We didn’t let them breathe. We smothered them.” https://t.co/nnN1o15841
In other Cowboys news, the Eagles' 2022 injury luck is already regressing to the mean after one game. Philly scraped by the Patriots in Week 1 after jumping out to an early lead, but lost two defensive starters: cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Nakobe Dean.
Bradberry is in concussion protocol and is a doubt for Thursday night against the Vikings, while Dean is expected to miss multiple weeks with a foot injury suffered on Sunday. The second-year pro is a candidate for short-term IR, so the Eagles signed veteran LB Rashaan Evans, who posted a 56.6 player grade last year, per PFF.
Linebacker was already a question mark for the Eagles, who lost both starters to free agency, but cornerback -- and the secondary in general -- is another headache for Nick Siriani and Co. to navigate in the early goings.
Very interesting indeed.