Micah Parsons Bullish on Cowboys Ahead of Packers Game Despite Ugly 2-3 Start

Despite everything that has gone wrong for the Dallas Cowboys on defense this season, Micah Parsons is still high on his former team.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) embrace after the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons is probably a lot higher on the Dallas Cowboys than their own fans.

The Cowboys are off to about as ugly of a 2-3 start as a team can have. There are problems all over the place, but the biggest ones no doubt lie on the defensive side of the ball, where Dallas has sported one of the worst units in the NFL.

Despite all that, Parsons said on his podcast that he believes the Cowboys are the No. 1 team in the NFC East, although we know that's a low bar right now with every team in the division having major concerns.

The more interesting thing coming from Parsons is the fact that he thinks the Cowboys are better than their 2-3 record and thinks the Cowboys have put "so much good stuff on tape."

“But the thing I wanna say about the Cowboys is, with their record, it’s more deceiving than, like they showing so much good stuff off tape, they’re just a few stops away," Parsons said.

"You have the highest point per margin offense in the league, great," he added. "So... you know it’s not a problem scoring points. It’s just about how, what’s the details, what’s the effort, and what’s the commitment gonna look like every day as a defense to say, hey, we’re gonna hustle to the ball, and we’re gonna get stops and play good coverage, and do the small details. That’s all they’re missing.”

Not sure we'd agree that the Cowboys have put a lot of good on tape, at least on the defensive side of the ball. It has been quite ugly for that unit this season.

While we appreciate Parson's optimism, this is pretty much the exact same situation the Cowboys had last season before they finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs again.

Hope in the NFC East

A fan holds a sign imploring the Philadelphia Eagles to fire head coach Nick Sirianni during the second half of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The big positive for the Cowboys is the rest of the division is not good.

The Giants are a few plays from being 1-4 and don't have their starting quarterback for the rest of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles are a dysfunctional mess and just suffered a brutal loss in Week 5 to fall to 2-3, and the 1-3-1 Washington Commanders can't manage a clock, let alone win games.

There is very much a scenario in which the Cowboys would win the division with as little as nine wins, but if the defense continues to be a liability, it might be tough to get even that many.

The Cowboys are making some changes to try and fix things, so there is at least some reason for hope.

The addition of Mike Pettine to help Christian Parker is a big plus, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer promised "roster adjustments," although he didn't go into specifics.

Will Micah Parsons play vs. Cowboys?

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Micah Parsons hype up the crowd at Green Bay Packers Family Night on Aug. 7, 2026, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No, Parsons is not expected to play against the Cowboys in Week 6, when Dallas travels to Lambeau Field.

Week 6 was initially given as the target date for Parsons' return from a torn ACL, but that has since changed and it remains to be seen if he'll even be back this month.

In the same podcast episode, Parsons talked about his injury recovery and why it's taking longer than expected.

“The biggest thing that people worried about with me, they're like, 'Man, why ain't he back yet?’” he said. "If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl. But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first.”

With no matchup against Parsons in 2026, barring these two teams meeting in the playoffs the next one might be in 2027.

The Cowboys have a single NFC North opponent on next year's schedule, but which one they face will be based on where the Cowboys finish in the standings and which NFC North team finishes in the same spot in that division.

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