Micah Parsons calls out Cowboys teammates with depressing quote after Bills loss
By Jerry Trotta
A familiar narrative has followed the Dallas Cowboys since Mike McCarthy took over as head coach three years ago. In fairness to McCarthy, the narrative was prevalent prior to his arrival. But the fact it's still a talking point is a concern.
The narrative? The Cowboys can't beat a good team on the road.
That held true in Sunday's demoralizing 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. While early questionable penalties didn't help Dallas' cause, the team was bullied, out-coached and outplayed and in doing so squandered yet another chance to shed the dreaded narrative.
It's one thing to be dominant at home. The Cowboys are utterly unstoppable when they play at AT&T Stadium, and while that's impressive in it's own right, the true measure of a championship team is whether it carries over on the road.
For whatever reason, that hasn't been the case with Dallas and a frustrated Micah Parsons sounded off on his teammates in response to the loss.
Cowboys hybrid DE Micah Parsons on the drop-off on road compared with home: "Honestly, it’s just unacceptable at this point. There’s no excuse for it. It’s mind-boggling. I don’t understand why we’re not playing well and why we’re not coming together on the road. It’s something…
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 18, 2023
Cowboys' Micah Parsons calls out teammates after blowout loss vs Bills
The fact Parsons is out of answers isn't a great sign.
Surely the Cowboys were aware of the Bills' desperation leading up to the game given their position in the AFC playoff picture, right? Surely they were aware of the prevailing narrative that the media has (rightfully) held against them for years, right? So why did Dallas not seem ready for a dogfight?
It's a question all Cowboys fans are asking themselves. The fact of the matter is Dallas is 3-4 away from AT&T Stadium compared to 7-0 in Arlington. They average a whopping 39.9 points per game at home compared to 18.3 on the road. That's greater than a 20-point difference. Like Parsons said, it's mind-boggling.
As of this writing, the Cowboys have a-58 point differential in road games against teams that currently have a winning record. With the loss, Dallas, which clinched a playoff berth before kickoff, all but confirmed they'll start the playoffs on the road and will likely have to win three road games (barring a team upsetting the Eagles or 49ers) just to get to the Super Bowl.
Cowboys hybrid DE Micah Parsons finds no solace in team clinching playoff berth on day it lost to Bills. “We've got to get better on the road, and we’ve got to be road warriors throughout the playoffs now because of this. So, it doesn’t matter unless we get better on the road."
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) December 18, 2023
Parsons is saying all of the right things, but it ultimately doesn't matter unless the team proves it on the field.
At the end of the day, the Cowboys have had three road games to cement themselves as Super Bowl contenders, or at least prove they can hang with the big guys. They got drubbed and quit in two of them, and competed, but lost in Philadelphia thanks to multiple mistakes in crucial moments.
They'll get a fourth try in Miami next week. A win in that game would do a lot to remove the stench from this loss, but Parsons' quote doesn't offer much optimism. How many more reality checks does this team need until it puts up a fight against an upper-echelon team on the road?
Like Parsons, we're out of answers.
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