Micah Parsons fires back at calls for Dallas Cowboys to tank amid 4-7 start

There’s no quit in the Dallas Cowboys (4-7). They showed as much in Sunday’s 34-26 Week 12 road victory over the Washington Commanders (7-5) and as long as linebacker Micah Parsons is around, any talk of tanking for a higher draft pick won’t be tolerated.

“I’m not done yet. I don’t plan on tanking,” Parsons said after the game, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “If the higher-ups are looking for a draft pick, I hope that’s ruined, because we got a lot of football left to play. As long as I’m a part of this team, we’re always going to fight.”

The Cowboys came into Sunday’s game riding a five-game losing streak with seemingly not much to play for. Among those out of the lineup: Cornerback Trevon Diggs, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, right guard Zack Martin, left guard Tyler Smith, receiver Brandin Cooks, tight end Jake Ferguson and of course, quarterback Dak Prescott, sidelined for the remainder of the season.

And yet, Dallas played inspired and made enough plays to defeat its NFC East rivals in one of the whackiest games of the 2024 season. For now, any talk about Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty or *insert top prospect here* is exactly that — talk. The Cowboys will enjoy this one before getting ready for a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the New York Giants (2-9).

Micah Parsons helps Cowboys snap five-game skid

Parsons led the way defensively, posting one of his best games this season. The two-time All-Pro compiled eight tackles (four solo), two sacks and three quarterback hits.

Dallas suffocated Washington’s offense for three quarters, holding them to just nine points. Things changed in the fourth, with the Commanders scoring 17 points in the final 3:02 of the game. That included an 86-yard touchdown from receiver Terry McLaurin to make it a one-score game with 21 seconds remaining. Austin Seibert missed the extra point, however, and the subsequent score from defensive back Juanyeh Thomas on the onside kick attempt sealed the victory for Dallas.

While the defensive effort was improved, those last few minutes bothered Parsons.

“Yeah, I mean obviously you feel good because you’re in the position to win the game if you get another stop, but the point is you shouldn’t even get there,” Parsons said, via the Cowboys’ official website. “That’s the reality. We shouldn’t even get to hoping that they miss a field goal. … Should be able to end the game on defense, get off and take a kneel down — not all the kick returns and extra points and all that nonsense.

“We should be able to end the game.”