Micah Parsons was escorted off the field in the second quarter of the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 4 game vs. the New York Giants. Parsons was slow to get up following a second-down tackle on Wan’Dale Robinson and was escorted off the field by a referee and brought to the blue medical tent.
Teammate Mazi Smith appeared to fall on Parsons on the play. The Giants failed to convert on third down on the next play, ending the drive and leaving Parsons’ status uncertain.
The exact nature of Parsons’ injury was not immediately known. He left the medical tent at the end of the series and was back on the bench, with his helmet in hand. The fourth-year pro entered Week 4 with just a single sack in his first three games. He had two tackles at the time of his departure.
UPDATE No. 2: Parsons returned to the game during the following series but went down again with 3:30 remaining in regulation. He was carted off the field with his sock and shoe taken off of his left foot. He was later reported to have an ankle injury.
Micah Parsons was assisted off the field and carted to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/wsyN2U3HvA
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 27, 2024
Parsons’ injury came on a critical Giants drive with New York at its own 45-yard line and trailing 20-15. He had two tackles at the time of his second in-game injury.
Micah Parsons down on the field #NFL pic.twitter.com/10LMJhQ7yZ
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) September 27, 2024
UPDATE No. 1: Parsons returned to the game on the following defensive series. He was reportedly evaluated for a neck injury, with a stinger being the initial concern.
Update from the press box: Cowboys' Micah Parsons has a neck injury but he WILL return https://t.co/cy3OvcJIrW
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) September 27, 2024
Micah Parsons’ Ankle Injury the Latest Issue for Dallas’ Defense
The Cowboys can ill-afford to lose their All-Pro pass rusher after a horrendous start to the season. Even after holding the Giants out of the end zone, Dallas ranks tied for 24th in scoring defense, allowing 26.0 PPG. After the game, Parsons said he would get an MRI tomorrow but sounds in the dark about his ankle injury:
Micah Parsons says he’s knows “very little” about the severity of his ankle injury. Has an MRI tomorrow but will try to be back for next week at the #Steelers. https://t.co/ij14gwfBxr
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 27, 2024
Parsons himself has just one sack this season, but that belies his actual pass-rushing impact. Through Week 3, he had piled up 18 pressures, tied for second-most in the NFL. Only Lions’ defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (25) had more pressures than Parsons entering this week.
Making matters worse, Parsons wasn’t the only Pro Bowl defender who went down on Thursday. The Cowboys lost fellow starting defensive end Demarcus Lawrence to a foot injury. Lawrence went out on the Giants’ first drive of the second half and did not return. He leads the team with three sacks and has nine pressures, tied for second-most behind Parsons.
Lawrence (foot) and Parsons (ankle) both appeared to be in pain in the locker room, with Parsons having a noticeable limp, but both said they would be fine, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
On Friday, Mike McCarthy said the injuries were ‘worse than we anticipated,’ and both players were going for second opinions.
The Cowboys posted a disastrous 17.1% pressure rate on Thursday, their lowest in a game since 2020. Not having either of their starting edge rushers would obviously exacerbate that problem, which is especially dangerous with their upcoming schedule. Six of their next seven games are against teams currently with winning records, and three of their next four are on the road.
Thursday’s win was much-needed to keep pace in the NFC East, but that does not mean the Cowboys’ problems have disappeared. And if their Defensive Player of the Year candidate is out for any extended stretch of time, a whole new set of problems could be around the corner.