Cowboys Micah Parsons a 'Lion' vs. Lions: Could Coach Dan Campbell's Detroit Offense Give Him Trouble?
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons found himself all over the field in Sunday's 26-17 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tasked with dropping back into pass coverage while being also being a focal point of blitzes to make Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts uncomfortable, Parsons once again put his versatility on display.
But as the Cowboys (4-2) travel back home to AT&T Stadium for a matchup with the Detroit Lions (1-4) on Sunday, Parsons - a self-tabbed 'lion' in his own right - faces arguably his tallest task against a team that has the ability to shock the world against Dallas despite a lowly one-win record.
Safe to say he has the respect and attention of Lions coach Dan Campbell ahead of the game.
"He's a rare talent," Campbell said Wednesday. "He's got rare ability and he's dynamic off the edge. He can do multiple things, but you put him on the perimeter and let him go that's where he really excels."
Parsons is currently in a seven-way tie for the second-most sacks in the league with six headed into Week 7. But out of quarterbacks who have started every game for their team this season, Lions signal-caller Jared Goff is tied with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert for fewest sacks taken with seven.
Still, Campbell didn't hesitate to admit that winning against vaunted Cowboys pass-rush is Detroit's "biggest challenge," though he's still maintaining confidence in his front five.
"That is the biggest challenge for us will be handling that rush," Campbell said. "Not just handling it but as much as we can to stay away from it ... they present a challenge but I like our o-line, I like our tackles. We'll have a plan. We can't let those guys wreck the game."
Less sacks taken means more opportunities for the offense, something the Lions have shown capable of taking advantage of. Detroit will look to utilize an offense that has averaged the second-most yards (411.8) and third-most points (28) per game this season.
Headed into the season, Detroit's offensive line was seen as the strength of the team. This has resulted in a surprising offensive revelation. And even after an embarrassing 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots on Oct. 9 before the bye week, the Lions still have the sack-less numbers to prove that stopping a terrorizing pass-rusher like Parsons is well within their capacity.
The Patriots loss might stand alone as a glaring outlier, as the Lions had star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown at less than 100 percent and are looking to get back dynamic running back D'Andre Swift on Sunday after a multi-week absence. Their potential return to full health against the Cowboys could force Parsons and the Dallas defense to shift focus elsewhere instead of putting all-out pocket pressure on Goff while the secondary plays one-on-one.
But while the Lions might be able to stop Parsons from getting home to Goff, halting the entire Dallas pass-rush remains a different story.
The Cowboys don't lead the league in sacks through six games (24) because of a one-man wrecking crew. Dallas defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and DeMarcus Lawrence will look to take advantage as Detroit likely shifts focus toward occasional double-team blocks against Parsons. After all, Armstrong is only one sack behind Parsons at five this season.
Said Campbell: "They can do it multiple ways."
With the potential return of quarterback Dak Prescott, the Cowboys will be expected to win at home against a Lions team looking for just its second win. But strong offensive line play from Detroit could make all the difference in keeping Dallas on its heels to avoid upset territory.
The Lions and Cowboys kickoff at 12 p.m. CT from AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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