'I Shed Tears!' Micah Parsons Wonders: Did Dallas Cowboys Trevon Diggs Heartbreak Lead to Loss?
As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for their matchup with the New England Patriots, coming off a frankly shocking 28-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, they have been left with a lot of reflecting to do, part of which has been centered around the loss of star cornerback Trevon Diggs.
"When I first heard about it and saw him go down, my heart broke," Cowboys star Lion-backer Micah Parsons said recently about Diggs' injury on "The Edge" podcast. "You talk about someone who took me under his wing ... I took a moment off to the side during practice, and I really just shed tears because Trevon's really like my family ...
"So losing him may have been a part of (losing the game) because the enjoyment and the fun he brings to the guys, that type of energy is rare, and we're truly going to miss him."
The Cowboys were handed a lot of adversity heading into last week's game versus the Cardinals. On the Thursday prior to the game, they lost Diggs to a season-ending ACL tear.
Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs (9) escapes a tackle from Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Then things got worse as the Cowboys had multiple starters along the offensive line - left tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz and right guard Zack Martin - added to the injury list before being ruled out of Sunday's game.
So, how did the Cowboys fare without 60 percent of their offensive line and down a starting cornerback?
The results were a far cry from the opening two games. Except the problems defensively for the Cowboys weren't as much about the absence of Diggs. Rather, they struggled to stop the run, allowing 220 yards on the ground. Additionally, while they did hold Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs to 189 yards passing, it was the chunk plays that really hurt them.
Offensively, the Cowboys were held to just 16 points, largely due to their inability to get into the end zone. Of the Cowboy's five trips to the redzone, they could only find the end zone once. The struggles in the redzone did appear in the Cowboys 30-13 win over the New York Jets, but it wasn't to the same extent on Sunday.
The Cowboys and Parsons will look to rebound from their disappointing performance on Sunday when they host the Patriots. ... and it'll be emotional, too, with Ezekiel Elliott coming to town as a visitor - but with Cowboys Nation hoping the emotional results are positive.
