The Dallas Cowboys opened the season without Micah Parsons and with a loss. But here is the biggest Parsons trade overreaction after the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to the Eagles.
Parsons wasn’t the only player missing from the Cowboys’ defense as the team decided to make former first-round pick Mazi Smith inactive.
But how much did the Cowboys miss Parsons?
Overreaction: Cowboys’ pass rush is toast
Yes, the Cowboys managed only one sack of Jalen Hurts. And for the most part, Hurts operated without a great deal of duress. Plus, Hurts was able to get loose when the pressure arrived. Maybe if Parsons had been on the field, Hurts wouldn’t have been able to escape for those key runs. Hurts had five runs for first down and two for touchdowns.
Yes, if the Cowboys don’t manufacture better pressure than they showed against the Eagles, they will be in defensive trouble throughout the season.
But let’s remember the Cowboys were going against the best offensive line in football, according to Pro Football Focus.
“The Eagles boast the NFL's best offensive tackle duo, featuring two players who rank at the top of their respective positions,” Zoltán Buday wrote. “Left tackle Jordan Mailata’s 95.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 led all offensive tackles, while right tackle Lane Johnson’s 88.9 mark placed fifth.
“There is some uncertainty along Philadelphia's interior following right guard Mekhi Becton‘s departure, but Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens remain to make this the best offensive line in football entering the 2025 season.”
Even with Parsons, it’s unlikely the Cowboys would have been able to crush the Eagles’ offense with an overwhelming pass rush.
The Cowboys are relying on Sam Williams and Dante Fowler Jr. as their edge rushers. Marshawn Kneeland and Donovan Ezeiruaku are also in the mix. This can be a good group. Maybe not outstanding, but reasonably good.
To write them off after one week, after playing the defending Super Bowl champions, doesn’t seem fair — or wise.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones acknowledged the absence of Parsons, according to a post on X by Mike Garafolo.
“Any time you have a great player and don’t have him on the field … ” Jones said. “But I was specifically watching a lot of the guys who were taking up the slack. [No.] 54 [Williams] had some really significant impact on their offense. All in all, this group adjusted. Made the adjustments. We stepped up in the second half on defense. Didn’t quite get it done like we did in the first half on offense. I’m sorry, though, that we lost the game.”
Would the Cowboys have won with Parsons on the field? Almost surely. But it’s game-specific. One big reason things went well for the Cowboys was the ejection of Eagles’ defensive end Jalen Carter before the first play from scrimmage. This allowed the Cowboys to run the football more effectively than they would have otherwise. It also kept the Eagles from generating more pressure on Dak Prescott.
That allowed the Cowboys to play less aggressively on defense. They didn’t need to throw caution to the wind to get to the quarterback because they were staying close on the scoreboard throughout the contest. And they had a chance to win at the end.
Essentially, this game offers little evidence of how much Parsons was missed in terms of pass rush. The Cowboys still had problems against the run, according to The Sporting News.
“The [Cowboys] defense gave up 158 rushing yards, with QB Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley taking their turns with chunk runs and touchdowns,” Vinnie Iver wrote. “Having Parsons, also known for shaky run defense, would have made little difference. The Eagles ran 38 times, or on 61 percent of their offensive plays. Hurts had to drop back only 24 times, getting sacked once.”
The main thing is, this was a neutral experience for the Cowboys. Even the head coach didn’t think it mattered much in the long run, according to ESPN.
“I still think we can win a Super Bowl,” he said. “It’s not going to change. I mean, we’ve got the right type of guys. We’ve got good players.”
Of course, the Cowbys didn't necessarily look like a Super Bowl team. Their offense looked good, but the absence of Carter has to be taken into strong consideration. Week 2 at home against the Giants should reveal plenty of evidence.
