Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
6 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S ome players might not view a 42-10 loss as a blessing, but that's how Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons chose to look at his team's Week 5 blowout in San Francisco. Parsons, who played two seasons at Penn State and was a consensus All- American in 2019, had no sacks and just 4 tackles in the loss to the 49ers, in which the Cowboys struggled on both sides of the ball. Regardless, Par- sons claimed the score does not tell the whole story. "I don't think they are at a higher level than us," he told reporters after the game. "I think we're the same cal- iber playoff team. Same talent. Same standards. I just feel like we need to re- consider … and fix some things. … The score didn't really shape what happened out there. "I just feel like there was nothing that they did, besides us beating ourselves," Parsons added. "You look at the third down, I jump offsides, and then they get seven [points] five plays later. … I feel like we beat ourselves. Good teams like this, if you beat yourselves, it shows in magnitude." Despite the lopsided loss to the unde- feated 49ers and a stunning 28-16 de- feat at the hands of last-place Arizona in Week 3, Dallas still has hopes of mak- ing the playoffs. Individually, Parsons and Cleveland Browns defensive line- man Myles Garrett are considered the early-season favorites for the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor ac- cording to FanDuel. Parsons had 18 tackles, including 4 sacks, in the first five weeks of the season. He is a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection and is expected to earn those honors again this year. His 4-tackle, 2-sack outing against the New York Jets in Week 2 was his best perfor- mance of the season to date. Although Dallas has struggled at times this season, Parsons is considered one of the favorites for the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor. PHOTO COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS Micah Parsons Confident That Cowboys Can Regroup G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS