Micah Parsons' move to DE sparks shorthanded Dallas Cowboys defense

Coming into the season, defense was not being seen as the strongest part of the Dallas Cowboys. With multiple players injured and absent on defense, a lot of people expected a high scoring shootout on Sunday when the Cowboys took on the Los Angeles Chargers.

Instead, the Cowboys played well defensively, coming away with a 20-17 victory. Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons made the switch to defensive line on Sunday, and him doing so was a big reason behind the Cowboys win.

The former Penn State star had two tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and four quarterback hits on Sunday. The Cowboys held the Chargers to just 17 points and less than 100 yards rushing. Parsons played a big role in the first win of the season for the Cowboys.

“I knew most of my snaps would come from me rushing the passer. And I just took it head on from Thursday to today – to be ready to play at a high level,” Parsons said to reporters after the game. “After today, we can open the playbook even more. I think my teammates and Coach Q put an unbelievable amount of faith in me. And it just keeps building my confidence to believe I can do much more than I thought I could do.”

Parsons’ strong play was huge for a Cowboys defense that was missing Randy Gregory and DeMarcus on the defensive line. The Cowboys ultimately won on a last second field goal by Greg Zuerlein.

The strong defensive performance is encouraging for the Cowboys offense

In week one, the Cowboys lost a close 31-29 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Dak Prescott attempted 58 passes while the team struggled to run the ball. This week was a different story. Prescott only threw the ball 27 times, while both Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott had at least 71 yards rushing.

Week one suggested that the Cowboys could be a one-dimensional team that has to put up a ton of points through Prescott to win games. Sunday’s win in Los Angeles showed that maybe this Cowboys team is better all-around than people thought it was. Parson’s emergence on the Cowboys defense is a big part of that.

“As I said last week, we’re going to have to go out there and score a bunch to win some games, and there’s going to be some games like this one,” Prescott said after the game. “I think it showed tonight. The defense did a great job. Turnovers, a big turnover in the red zone when it was needed, and we were able to come back out and get three.

“It’s just as important to play off of one another. When one team makes a big play, the other unit has to come on there and do a good job of picking up their back and taking advantage of them making that play. That’s what complimentary football’s all about. That’s how you win games, that’s how you become a championship team and be the team that we want to be.”

Next up for Parsons and the Cowboys is a three-game homestand against the Eagles, Panthers, and Giants.