On the heels of two brutal losses, the Dallas Cowboys head to East Rutherford, New Jersey to face off with the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.
The rivalry between these two teams has been lopsided since Dak Prescott arrived, with Dallas winning the last 12 with him under center. The last time New York knocked off Dallas was in 2020 when Andy Dalton started in place of an injured Prescott.
That should give them plenty of hope — but then again, the performance of their defense over the past two weeks gives them cause for alarm.
That's why it's not a surprise to hear Micah Parsons call out his teammates saying they've allowed themselves to get "smacked in the face" and need more pride on the field.
"I feel like as a competitor, at some point you got to be prideful enough to say, 'I'm not going to allow this to happen to me.' I just feel like some people are just allowing them to keep getting smacked in the face. When are you going to stand up?" — Parsons on the Cowboys defense
Parsons seemed frustrated that teammates are nodding in agreement during meetings but have yet to show they truly get it when the game starts.
Parsons, who didn't have a good outing against Baltimore, is correct in his assessment. The entire defense has been bullied and they don't seem to be on the same page.
Having said that, he also needs to make sure he's pointing a finger his way. Parsons has just one sack so far this season and has been criticized in the past for not showing up in big moments.
A Week 4 contest against the Giants shouldn't be a big game but due to the struggles this defense has had to kick off the season, that's exactly what it's become.
Parsons has been speaking the way a leader would by calling out his teammates (even if he doesn't want to do so individually). Now, he needs to take his own advice and be a leader on the field.
