3 key matchups that will determine Washington-Cowboys showdown

2. Micah Parsons vs Washington OL

Look, we’re man enough to admit the Cowboys got a stud in Micah Parsons. If you were to redo the 2021 draft, he’d likely be a top-three pick.

Alas, Parsons fell to No. 12 overall and he’s currently the runaway favorite for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, tallying 72 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, which leads the NFL, 10 sacks, 25 QB hits, two forced fumbles, 50 pressures and two pass breakups in 12 games.

It’ll be interesting to see how Dallas deploys Parsons, as pass rusher Randy Gregory is expected to return from a calf strain. If he’s activated, the Cowboys will have Parsons, Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence sharing the field for the first time since Week 1.

Whether or not Gregory is on a pitch count, Dallas would be insane to revert Parsons back to a linebacker. He’s a game-wrecker in terms of generating pressure, and Washington better plan to limit his impact.

Of course, that won’t be easy with Gregory and Lawrence back in the fold, but we’d focus our attention more on Parsons. If the Football Team is able to contain the Penn State product, we absolutely love their chances to pull out the upset.

Let’s hope Washington is up to the challenge, because no team has been capable of preventing Parsons from taking over games.

Make no bones about it, Parsons vs the Football Team’s OL could determine this high-stakes divisional matchup.