Getty Cowboys star Micah Parsons (left) is frustrated and Dan Quinn says he knows why.
Despite an impressive 49-17 loss to the Giants on Sunday in Week 10, a game in which everything seemed to be clicking for Dallas, there was one statistical blurb that got a little out of hand. Micah Parsons of the Cowboys played 39 snaps and recorded no stats.
No sacks, no quarterback hits, no passes defended. Not even a tackle for Parsons, the leading contender for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
The evening after the game, Parsons posted his obvious dissatisfaction on Twitter/X: “I haven’t been so speechless in a long time!”
I haven’t been so speechless in a long time! 🤯🤐🥴
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) November 13, 2023
When teammate Sam Williams posted a photo of a dog biting into a cage with the caption: “No need to free me, I’ll break the MF cage,” Parsons posted the response: “Then free me.”
The conclusion was that Parsons was somehow locked in given the quiet performance against the Giants.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn understood Parsons’ frustration, but said the Giants have put the focus of their defense on Micah Parsons, and when that happens, things will be difficult.
“That’s every competitor, right? You want to make sure you’re always making an impact, and sometimes his influence hurts other people’s chances of getting something because he gets attention,” Quinn said at his press conference this week.
“Cowboys’ Micah Parsons had reason to be frustrated”
Now it’s true that Sunday’s game wasn’t a typical Micah Parsons game for the Cowboys. He had every reason to be frustrated because this statistic shows that in 41 NFL games he had never played a full 60 minutes without a single tackle. Really speechless.
But Quinn wants Parsons to recognize that the attention he draws creates opportunities for others on defense. The entire defense was packed, with 16 different players recording at least two tackles and no player making more than four.
The Cowboys had five sacks on the day.
“Like I said, any competitor can get frustrated with this,” Quinn said. “And there will be games like that, there have been games like that and there will be more games like that. But his moments, when you leave him once or don’t give him help, those are the times when he makes you pay.
“But like any competitor it can be frustrating at times, but these things are out of your control and you have to keep attacking and know that when that happens there will be other opportunities for other people and other players.” and I think, (Sunday) was a pretty good example of that.”
Second-most double teams in the NFL
Quinn is right that Parsons draws attention like no other defensive player in the league. According to ESPN stats, Parsons is double-teamed 29% of the time he is on the field, second in the NFL behind Myles Garrett at 32%. Still, he has 43 pass rush “wins” and an NFL-best 34% rush win rate.
But he feels like he has to put up big numbers every week. Quinn understands. Few players are at such a high level as Micah Parsons.
“I think it’s hard,” Quinn said. “It’s up to him. It’s hard for anyone to be in this field because what you’re capable of is extraordinary. So if someone wants to say, “You won’t ruin the game,” then we’re lying. This can be difficult for any competitor. I imagine there are times when it’s easier to deal with and times when it’s not. (Sunday) was one of those where I thought it was going to be more difficult.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter who covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. He has been writing for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of NBA reporting experience, including 17 years as a senior NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of seven nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley Were Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
Take the quiz now
Like heavy but hate the ads?
Subscribe now for an ad-free experience
Harder to the Cowboys news
More stories are loading