Micah Parsons 'Phenomenal or Forgotten'? Analyzing Dallas Cowboys Star's Playoff Silence

In the biggest game of their season, the Dallas Cowboys -- and their biggest stars -- failed to make an impact. Why did Micah Parsons struggle against the Green Bay Packers?

Before the Dallas Cowboys’ Wild Card loss to the Green Bay Packers, edge rusher Micah Parsons set a challenge for himself and his teammates. “Be phenomenal or be forgotten” was the mindset of a man on a mission to entrench himself in the storied history of America’s Team.

Their performance, a 48-32 drubbing from the visiting Packers, won’t be forgotten anytime soon, for all the wrong reasons.

It seemed like nobody showed up for the Cowboys. Quarterback Dak Prescott was slow out of the gate and couldn’t recover. Their front seven was muted by Green Bay’s physicality and it felt like every Jordan Love dropback targeted a wide-open receiver. Simply put, it was pitiful, and Parsons didn’t do himself any favors, either – his only impact on the box score was two tackles.

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Subsequently, the pitchforks have come out for a coaching staff that was emphatically dunked on and a quarterback who hasn’t been able to shake the narratives surrounding his name. 

Parsons, too, was criticized. He failed to leave his fingerprints on Sunday’s Wild Card Round. How did an All-Pro edge rusher fade in the biggest game of the season?

Much of the Packers’ success starts with head coach Matt LaFleur. Sunday was no different. His offense, an offshoot of Kyle Shanahan’s wide-zone attack with the San Francisco 49ers, was a nightmare for Dallas to deal with.

The Cowboys, to their detriment, have sacrificed strength for speed on the defensive side of the ball. This is often necessary for the pass-happy environment the NFL has become, but made them ill-prepared to play a team willing to punch them in the mouth repeatedly. Parsons – who, for all his strengths, is only about 245 pounds – plays into this. He isn’t a one-man wrecking crew against the run, and Green Bay took advantage of this.

Want the short, uncomplicated version?

The reason the #Cowboys Micah was rendered ineffective in the playoff game is because the #Packers blocked him.

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 17, 2024

Is it as simple as, “They blocked him!” As our Mike Fisher dryly notes? It can be, But of course there is a deeper strategic layer to it.

As Bob Sturm showcased, LaFleur prioritized Parsons, oftentimes with split zone, sending a body to block him on the backside of a run. While the rest of Dallas’ defense struggled with the physical nature of the Packers’ run game, these concepts ensured Parsons’ speed couldn’t spoil their day.

This is one of many, many. Get the frontside moving and send sniffer at backside DE. pic.twitter.com/wLSLly3zoc

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) January 17, 2024

That isn’t particularly surprising, and it isn’t an indictment on Parsons, either. He’s one of the best pass rushers on the planet, and that compensates for any detriment that may arise in the run game. However, Green Bay didn’t let him rush the passer, taking him out of the game by limiting his opportunities to wreck it.

Micah vs. refs

Packers quarterback Jordan Love, while dominant, only attempted 21 passes. That in itself limited the amount of times Parsons could chase down the quarterback. He would rush the passer 19 times on Sunday, but only six of those came on true pass sets, which eliminates things like screens and play-action passes. It’s difficult to get into the sack column with two dozen chances. A half-dozen is an arduous task.

Per Pro Football Focus, he won 27.8 percent of his total pass rush snaps and three of his six against true pass sets. This regular season, he had a win rate of 24.2 percent – that rose to 31.2 against true pass sets. Both were top-three marks for his position and he outperformed them on Sunday.

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At that rate, it was only a matter of time before Parsons notched a sack. But Dallas’ ineffectiveness everywhere else made that impossible.

In hindsight, Green Bay was better-suited to eliminate Parsons than most anticipated, and the game script allowed them to dictate on offense, staying multidimensional. For the many reasons Dan Quinn’s defense struggles against Shanahan-tree teams, Parsons’ limited impact may be most significant, even if it isn’t for a lack of talent.