Micah Parsons and various other celebrities were in attendance at the AT&T Stadium on November 15 for one of the most anticipated boxing matches (can we call it that?) in recent memory — Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson.
Paul won the fight by unanimous decision but was criticized by many for scheduling the matchup against a 58-year-old. As soon as the fight ended, Parsons went on social media and challenged Paul for an eight-round fight.
Unfortunately, that message did not go well among the NFL fans, and the Cowboys star took a lot of heat for it.
Micah Parsons Faces Backlash for Challenging Jake Paul
Fans on social media were unhappy with Parsons indulging himself in other sports while his team was struggling. Here’s how they reacted to the 25-year-old linebacker’s call out for Paul after the latter’s fight against Tyson:
Bro you would get smoked😂😂
— Austin (@Austin72814) November 16, 2024
“U wanna do everything but play football,” said one fan.
“How about we win a football game first?” said another fan.
brother win 8 games before you worry about 8 rounds
— Sigmatic (@sigmatic_) November 16, 2024
Another fan added, “I rather see you vs Mike McCarthy for 8 rounds.”
“Can’t win a football game, so gotta look at other options,” wrote another fan.
“Worry about your team Micah!” wrote another account on X.
Running to a whole nother sport pic.twitter.com/vmpJQUvK6F
— Big O (Stinsons Shooting Supply) (@therealOStinson) November 16, 2024
The Cowboys have had a season to forget, as they are 3-6 heading into Week 11. They have potentially lost their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury.
Dallas has lost its last four games and is projected by almost everyone to lose again on Sunday when it faces the Houston Texans. It will be important for Parsons to play well against the Texans, as the fans will not hesitate to go after him if he fails to show up on Monday Night Football.
The Cowboys’ Defense Still Has a Lot To Play For
Since Prescott is out for the season, Dallas’ hopes of making the playoffs are all but done. The Cowboys’ offense struggled in their first game without Prescott, as Cooper Rush threw for only 45 yards on 23 passing attempts. Trey Lance also got an opportunity at the end of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles but failed to make an impact.
CeeDee Lamb is also listed as questionable for the game against the Texans, so it will be hard for the Cowboys’ offense to get anything going if he is out for the game. However, the story is not the same for the Parsons-led defense. The Texans have not scored a touchdown in the second half of their last four games, and it will be necessary for the Cowboys to take advantage of that cold streak.
Dallas currently has the league’s second-worst scoring and run defense. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s situation is not looking good, but he still has time to redeem himself.
Regardless, there will likely be a coaching change in Dallas after this season, as Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. But if Zimmer wants to keep his job or get an offer from another team, he needs to ensure that the Cowboys’ defense steps up in the remaining games of this campaign.
Parsons has missed four games this year due to an ankle injury. He has 13 solo tackles, three assists, eight quarterback hits, one force fumble, and 3.0 sacks in five games. The Penn State product will be eligible for a contract extension after the season, and he needs to finish the season on a high if he wants to become the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
PFN Defense+ Analytics Ranks the Cowboys’ Defense
PFN’s defense rankings combine statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, sack percentage, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, pressure percentage when not blitzing, and various expected points added (EPA) measures against both the run and pass. These are then weighted accordingly to produce our rankings for each season.
The Cowboys, per PFN’s Defense+ Analytics, are ranked 26th in the league heading into Week 11.
PFN Analyst Ben Rolfe writes, “It is not a huge surprise that Micah Parsons’ return improved the Cowboys’ defense this past week. However, they are still a long way from where they have been in recent seasons, as Dan Quinn’s departure continues to haunt them.
There is a lot wrong with this unit, but the issues stem from allowing touchdowns on 77.4% of red-zone trips, leading to a rank of second-from-last in points per drive (2.54). They also rank among the worst teams in the league against the run, which is part of the reason they are allowing 5.8 yards per play this season (29th).”