The Dallas Cowboys could not have started the 2023 season off on a better note, as not only did they win in convincing fashion with a 40-0 scoreline, they also demolished division rival New York Giants, sending their NFC East peers reeling with such an incredible result. And the thing is, the Cowboys could have twisted the knife deeper into the Giants' guts if quarterback Dak Prescott was on point and the Cowboys' passing game was firing on all cylinders.

In the end, it was the Cowboys' defense that made a victory of such magnitude a possibility, as the team simply did not give Daniel Jones and the Giants any room to breathe from the kick-off. They scored two first quarter touchdowns through immense defensive plays — one, a blocked field goal, and two, a well-timed tackle that sent the ball loose for a pick-six.

While that result shocked the entire world given how close these two teams' battles were last season, Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons saw it coming from a mile away, as he saw his team put in the work necessary to put up quite the complete performance in their total demolition job of the Giants.

“No doubt in my mind. I saw it before anybody. I said, ‘I can't wait to get to New York.' I already knew we was coming. Just because when preparation meets execution, I don't think there's no one that can beat us,” Parsons said, per Todd Archer of ESPN.

That is a scary thing to hear from someone who's incredibly motivated to prove to everyone that he's the best defensive piece in the NFL today. Micah Parsons is certainly a great star player to have to front the defense, and the Cowboys take after him a lot — playing with an edge that straddles the line between arrogant and complacent.

When the Cowboys offense kicks into gear and the Cowboys defense manages to avoid a steep drop-off, there's no reason to believe that they could end up challenging for the Super Bowl come February. But for now, Parsons and the rest of the team know that there's a lot of work left for them to do before then.