Jerry Jones hoping for more after pass rush falls flat versus Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys‘ pass rush is under scrutiny this week despite the team’s win over the Eagles on Saturday. There’s no question the defensive unit had little success getting to Gardner Minshew in Week 16 but the failure was even more glaring as Philadelphia’s own pass rush brought down Dak Prescott six times. Jerry Jones discussed whether he has concerns about the unit heading toward the playoffs on 105.3 The Fan on Wednesday.

“Well, let’s give Minshew some credit, he was really getting that ball out… We were coming and coming hard, let’s again add there that their offensive line had to do with this conversation, but we were putting pressure on him, we were making that urgency in the throws and that did help us eventually,” Jones said.

“When they’re throwing it out there that quick, what we’re doing is going to have to be enough and it turns out it was. There are some things that you can do, they schemed us pretty good on a couple of those, the way they set up their routes, we can work on that and get better. I would have liked to see them touch that and get after the quarterback more but overall, I’ll take that. I will take that because we were hurrying it up.”

Jones: Defense is ‘so close’

Dallas came away with the 40-34 win for No. 11 on the year but the defense doesn’t have the same unstoppable feeling it had heading into the holiday season. Asked whether the offense has the edge on the defense before the Week 17 Titans game, Jones said he believes the defense is “so close.”

“It is so close in detail on both sides of the ball,” Jones said. The nuances of where an interior down lineman may have lined up or how he was doing that day on certain techniques. And then you get into your linebacking and your linebacking can have a little off-key, off timing, and boy, that stuff is so close… They’re just so close to having it executed in a way that allows us to get those pressures, allows us to get through there, we just have to continue to strive for that.”

Micah Parsons claps back at criticism after Eagles game

Micah Parsons let his frustration boil over toward the critics coming after him for his lack of sacks over the last few weeks.

The second-year star sounded off on Tuesday as he welcomed anyone to try to step into his shoes on game day.

“I promise you sacking the QB is not that easy,” Parsons said. “People forget we’re playing against the league’s best… But if anybody wants to take my job and step in my shoes, you’re more than welcome. I’ll hand it over and see how you do.”

After being on a sack-a-game pace through 12 weeks, Parsons now has 13 total. And while the Cowboys are 3-1 during his four-game production dip, the former Penn State evidently wants to get back to hitting and sacking quarterbacks.