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The New England Patriots enter Week 4 fresh off winning their first game of the season over the New York Jets in Week 3. Given the final score of 15-10, it clearly wasn't the most dominant victory the Patriots have ever recorded, but a win is a win, and considering the circumstances, it's a win that New England can be proud of.
In Week 4, though, the margin for error shrinks drastically with the Dallas Cowboys on deck. The Cowboys throttled the New York Giants and Jets to open the season before getting upset by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. Despite the confusing loss to Arizona, it's clear that Dallas has the ability to run New England ragged if they play up to their true potential.
From the Patriots perspective, though, the Cowboys appear to be much more vulnerable than they were to open the season thanks to their shocking loss to the Cardinals. This isn't a game New England will be expected to win, but it's one they very well could end up walking away victorious from. However, in order to do that, the Pats are absolutely going to need to ensure that Micah Parsons has a quiet day on defense.
Why the Patriots need to limit Micah Parsons
Three weeks into the 2023 campaign, the Patriots biggest weakness on either side of the ball has been their offensive line. With a handful of injuries popping up, New England hasn't really had time to build up their preferred starting five lineman to this point. Their starters were largely healthy against the Jets, and they didn't allow a sack to Mac Jones, while also helping the running game put together its best game of the year.
While New York's front seven is one of the best in the NFL, things go from bad to worse when it comes to bumping into Dallas' front seven. The Cowboys 12 sacks through three games are tied for the second-highest total in the league, and while their run defense hasn't been great so far, there's a decent chance they have a strong outing against the Patriots offensive line.
Of course, it helps having one of the top defensive game-wreckers on defense in Parsons on your defense. After nearly winning Defensive Player of the Year in just his second year in the league, Parsons has gotten off to a hot start again in 2023, racking up four sacks, five tackles for a loss, and a fumble forced in the first three games of the new campaign.
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Even when accounting for the crushing loss of star cornerback Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys have one of the best defensive units in the NFL, and a big reason why is because of Parsons. Parsons is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, who can also blow up running plays and drop off into coverage when needed as well.
For New England, limiting Parsons is going to be their biggest offensive goal on Sunday afternoon, due in large part to the struggles of their offensive line. The Patriots could end up being without Cole Strange for this one, who is questionable with a knee injury after he was forced out of the win over the Jets early. Losing him for this one would once again force the o-line to adapt on the fly with another piece rotating into the lineup.
Slowing down Parsons doesn't fall on one guy, as he lines up all over the field, and will do whatever he can to find a weakness up front for New England. We have seen that there may be multiple weaknesses for Parsons to exploit on New England's offensive line through three games, and there's a chance that he could single-handedly win this game for Dallas.
For the Patriots, they are going to have to give Parsons the proper attention if they want to have any sort of offensive success in this game. There are holes in the secondary for Jones to pick on, but if he doesn't have time, it's not going to matter. Jones has been getting the ball out very quickly this season, and he'd be wise to continue doing that against the Cowboys.
On the ground, it's likely a good idea to design run plays to the side of the field that Parsons isn't on. New England had some success running the ball against the Jets, but that was primarily due to Ezekiel Elliott rather than Rhamondre Stevenson, whose early season struggles are becoming increasingly concerning. New England may be playing from behind, but either way, Jones is going to need some support from his rushing attack.
Again, New England has a shot to beat Dallas, but they are going to need a few things to go their way. If Parsons has a big day, there's almost no shot the Patriots win this game. Bill Belichick has a habit of finding a way to limit the opposing team's best players on both sides of the ball, and he better have a good plan to slow down Parsons, or else it could be a long day for the Patriots.
