Micah Parsons building Defensive Player of the Year case for Dallas Cowboys
Micah Parsons is a man on a mission.
Ever since the Dallas Cowboys rookie was little he "always wanted to be great," he told Pam Oliver in his postgame interview Sunday.
'It's only going to get better from here' — Micah Parsons after Cowboys' win over Washington
Well, the 22-year-old pass-rushing linebacker fit that definition in a 27-20 win for the Cowboys against the Washington Football Team, helping Dallas move to 9-4 in the process.
By the end of the first half, Parsons had two sacks, two solo tackles, one tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
Micah Parsons' strip-sack leads to Cowboys' touchdown
He added another solo tackle before the day was over, but it was his first-half explosion that really drummed up attention.
After plenty of chatter about his pass-rushing credentials heading into the weekend, Parsons has elevated the discussion to a higher standard.
Already viewed as a shoo-in for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, Parsons now is building a case for Defensive Player of the Year, as Emmanuel Acho of "Speak For Yourself" pointed out.
Heck, even Parsons' rivals are taking notice (as is FOX Bet, which has Parsons with the second-best odds to win DPOY at +275, trailing only Myles Garrett at +200).
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay, who apparently was keeping an eye on the competition during Philadelphia's bye week, took special note of the Penn State product's day.
With his pair of sacks against WFT, Parsons now has 12 sacks this season, 2.5 shy of the all-time rookie record of 14.5 by Jevon Kearse in 1999.
Speaking of Kearse, Parsons' stretch of at least one sack in six straight games is the longest streak by a rookie since Kearse's eight-game run in his rookie season.
In addition, Parsons wasn't necessarily viewed as a pass-rusher when the Cowboys selected the linebacker with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But with 9.5 sacks in his past six games, tied for the most in a six-game stretch by a rookie in NFL history, any questions about where he's best suited to play have been all but put to rest.
The Cowboys needed a standout performance from their rookie, too, given the less-than-stellar outing from quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense.
Prescott completed just 57.5% of his 40 pass attempts for 221 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Ezekiel Elliott led all of Dallas' rushers with 45 yards.
However, Parsons and his defensive companions — including Randy Gregory, who forced a critical fumble late in the fourth quarter — were there to lift the Cowboys to victory.
On Monday's episode of "Undisputed," Skip Bayless sang the praises of Dallas' budding young star.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought I would say this publicly, but my team is going to go as far as Micah Parsons carries my team," Bayless said.
Skip Bayless: 'My Cowboys are going to go as far as Micah Parsons carries them'
With the likes of Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (15 sacks in 13 games), Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt (16 sacks in 11 games) and others also in the mix, there is plenty of competition for the DPOY award.
In fact, as though he heard the buzz building around Parsons, Garrett one-upped the Cowboys rookie with a strip-sack that he recovered and returned for a touchdown Sunday.
Nevertheless, as his dominant performances continue to pile up, Parsons is demonstrating his greatness and proving that his name belongs in the conversation.
Here is a sampling of some of that conversation on social media Sunday:
