Entering Week 12 with a 3-7 record, the Dallas Cowboys were in a tailspin, experiencing their worst 10-game start since 2020 and enduring a five-game losing streak, their longest since the 2015 season.
Many football fans, including those who support the Cowboys and other teams, would likely agree that the Cowboys’ free fall was an ideal scenario for a franchise in need of a talent boost. This is especially after injuries to key players like quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring), edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence (foot), right guard Zack Martin (ankle/shoulder), cornerback Trevon Diggs (groin/knee), and cornerback DaRon Bland (foot), among others.
While this sentiment is shared around the football world, it’s not one that resonates within the Cowboys’ locker room, even with coach Mike McCarthy and his staff in the final season of their current contracts. This was made clear by Dallas’ surprising and chaotic 34-26 road victory over Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders on Sunday afternoon in Week 12.
“I’m not done yet. I don’t plan on tanking,” three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons said via The Athletic postgame on Sunday. “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.”
Dallas’ owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, who is well-known for emphasizing the Cowboys’ approach of drafting and developing talent, admires Parsons’ mindset and believes “there’s a lot of ambiguity with those draft picks.” Jones and the Cowboys infamously allocated just $20.13 million in free agency this past offseason—an area with less uncertainty.
According to OverTheCap.com, that amount was the lowest in the among NFL teams, falling more than $10 million behind the next closest team, despite Dallas’ “all in” approach for the offseason.
“Love it. Just absolutely love it,” Jones addressed Parsons’ comments about tanking on Tuesday during an appearance on 105.3 FM The Fan, as reported by The Athletic. “I just think the game is too important. The win is too important. … A win is a very satisfying thing under any circumstance. It helps you build. There’s a lot of ambiguity with those draft picks.”
Washington and No. 2 overall pick quarterback Jayden Daniels came into Sunday’s game averaging the fourth-most points per game in the NFL (28.0), but Dallas shut them down, limiting them to just nine points through the first 57 minutes of play.
This was a remarkable feat, especially considering the Cowboys’ first six offensive drives went as follows: blocked field goal, missed field goal, lost fumble, and three straight punts. Despite this, Dallas won the turnover battle 3-1, intercepting Daniels twice and recovering a fumble from tight end John Bates.
“I think we had to make a statement as a defense and as a team as a whole,” Parsons said after the game on Sunday, according to the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t think it was particularly a player or a coach. I just think it was like, ‘When is enough, enough?’ You got to make that decision and today it was a direction, we said ‘enough is enough, we’re going to play all four quarters.'”
However, there are still plenty of teachable moments in the victory. The Cowboys’ coaching staff will undoubtedly focus on as they review the tape on Sunday night and Monday before shifting their attention to the New York Giants (2-9), their Thanksgiving Day opponent.
“We did a great job,” Parsons said after the game on Sunday, as reported by the Dallas Morning News. “I wish we would have finished better, letting them get that touchdown at the end, that really bothered me. But that’s what I mean, we’re a good team, we’re slowly putting games together. We did it in all three quarters, I just wish we could have finished the fourth quarter but we’re definitely on our way to being the team we want to be.”
Although the Cowboys’ strong fourth-quarter performance thrilled fans, Parsons hopes they won’t have to depend on the heroics of KaVontae Turpin and Juanyeh Thomas to secure victories in the future. It’s a reasonable approach, but in what has been a challenging 2024 season for the 4-7 Cowboys, many would understand if Parsons took a moment to appreciate the victory. However, that’s just not how he’s wired.
“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 after the game on Sunday, via DallasCowboys.com, regarding McLaurin’s touchdown. “That’s the reality. We shouldn’t even get to hoping that they miss a field goal. … We 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.”
