MINNEAPOLIS — The Vikings wanted to get off to a fast start. Micah Parsons had other plans. Minnesota won the coin toss Sunday afternoon and elected to receive. Three plays into their opening possession, Parsons wrecked the game.
On third-and-3 from the Vikings’ 32-yard line, QB Kirk Cousins rolled out to his right, looking to extend the play. Parsons, rushing off the right edge, made quick work of left tackle Christian Darrisaw, a 2021 first-round pick.
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Cousins had no chance of escaping. As Parsons closed in, the U.S. Bank Stadium crowd began to roar. Cowboys fans were cheering for a sack. Vikings fans were yelling for Cousins to get rid of the ball.
Parsons knocked the ball loose with his right hand as he pulled Cousins down. DE Dorance Armstrong recovered.
It was the first big play of many in what turned into the Cowboys’ most impressive performance of possibly the last decade, winning 40-3, the highest margin of victory on the road in franchise history.
“Understanding that they were quick-setting, so I kind of went power to outside (pass rush),” Parsons explained. “I was able to get the edge on him. (Cousins) tried to extend the play. Obviously, we’re hunting, so you ain’t getting far. We’re coming from the backside. I was able to get the ball loose. We recovered and made that statement in the game.”
The Cowboys only managed a field goal off the turnover, but Cousins and the talented Vikings offense never looked right after that tone-setting play.
“(Parsons) put that pressure on him early and (Cousins) knew it was going to be there all day,” DeMarcus Lawrence said. “Shout out to Micah for opening up the gates. Ever since that first hit, he wasn’t the same.
“I think the change was he was going through all his reads but he was patting the ball a lot. When you do that, you ain’t got enough time against our D-line. There’s too much speed up front.”
Parsons agreed.
“I saw a big difference,” he said. “(Trying to get) the ball out quicker. He was way more hesitant. Obviously, early pressure creates problems. I think it definitely caused problems in their passing game, especially from where they were trending at and what we were able to accomplish today, it just lets you know what this defense can do.”
Micah Parsons pic.twitter.com/D4x1VMdH2j
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 21, 2022
The Vikings entered at 8-1, riding a seven-game winning streak, tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL’s best record. They had been undefeated at home. They were fresh off defeating the Bills, one of the NFL’s best teams, in Buffalo. The Cowboys, on the other hand, were coming off their worst loss of the season, blowing a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead and losing in overtime at Green Bay the previous Sunday.
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The Dallas defense was frustrated with its play in that 31-28 loss to the Packers and it was a clear motivator Sunday. Parsons had four solo tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss and three QB hits in the first half alone as the Cowboys built a 23-3 halftime lead. They finished with seven sacks, their most since 2008. It was also the most Cousins has been sacked in 135 career games.
And they were pretty good against the run, too. After allowing 447 rushing yards the previous two games combined, the Cowboys held the Vikings to 73 on 17 carries.
“This is how it should be every week,” Parsons said. “There shouldn’t be a gap. We should play sound football. We’re showing what we’re capable of, we flash it, but we got to consistently do it. Consistency wins championships, not flash. If we’re able to do that, we could go really far.”
Armstrong had two sacks while Lawrence, safety Jayron Kearse and DE Dante Fowler each added one.
“They were physical up front,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said. “They were able to kind of get us on some of those known passing situations and force negative plays. You can have all the route concepts you want to dial up there, but none of that really matters if your quarterback can’t go through those progressions.”
After 10 games, does Jerry Jones see this Cowboys team as a championship contender? "A resounding yes. Yes. Unequivocally yes. … I sure do think what I see out here right now is a team that you could go get a Super Bowl with." pic.twitter.com/HhUZtt39yU
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 21, 2022
Parsons now has 10 sacks on the season. All have come in five games, two each. In those five games, Dallas is 4-1. The lone loss was in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His play Sunday was a response to his frustration from the loss in Green Bay where he played more linebacker and wasn’t nearly as impactful.
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“I play at a higher level when I get mad,” Parsons said. “From last week, this was a statement for me. It had nothing to do with anybody else. I took it personally. I got to play better. I got to do more. I need to make a statement on my own. No one else needs to do it. That’s just how I’m built. If you get smacked in the face, what are you going to do about it?”
There was a scary moment for the Cowboys late in the third quarter as Parsons got his left knee rolled up on by several linemen. He had the knee examined in the blue medical tent and was able to return. After the game, he described it as a “quick shock” that he never felt before.
“My health is great,” Parsons added. “My knee is cool. I’m going to continue to get rehab, continue to get healthy so we can keep playing great football.”
Dak Prescott said a conversation he had with Parsons on Saturday night made the quarterback think the front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year was about to have a big game.
“Just chasing greatness, honestly,” Prescott explained of the conversation. “He has an opportunity to be one of the best to play this game. … Just challenging him to do that. And that’s obviously what he wants to do.”
Prescott had his best game of the season, leading the offense to scores on its first seven possessions. Dallas didn’t punt until there were four minutes left in the third quarter.
Prescott was 22-of-25 passing for 276 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers and a 139.3 passer rating. His favorite target was running back Tony Pollard, who was on the receiving end of both of Prescott’s TD passes, one that went for 30 yards and the other for 68.
Jerry Jones on Dak Prescott’s play today: “I think you saw vintage Dak. You saw the Dak that I hope I get to see for 10 more years, at least.” pic.twitter.com/Ec8MbvmhOn
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 21, 2022
Pollard also led all rushers with 15 carries for 80 yards. Ezekiel Elliott, in his first game back from a sprained right knee, scored two touchdowns, both from the 1-yard line.
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The combination of the pass rush and quality play from cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown held the Vikings to a season-low 110 passing yards. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson managed only 33 yards on three receptions. He entered the game with six 100-yard games this season, including last week when he had 10 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown against the Bills.
“I really love this locker room,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “And we’re definitely not short in the area of veteran leadership. We had a chance to visit with our leadership council (last week), and I am just so impressed with the way these guys open up their hearts and really challenge each other. And I think all that is part of this championship formula that you have to have.
“You have to go through adversity moments. You have to have moments like last week. And you definitely have to respond like we did this week. … I’m proud of our guys. The leadership group and the young guys buying in, Micah, the older guys putting their hands around him and helping him grow in that area. We’ve got a lot of good things going on right now.”
(Photo of Micah Parsons: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
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