'Definitely Shocking!' Micah Parsons Reacts to Dallas Cowboys Loss at Arizona

Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys defense was a shell of itself on Sunday, and the offense continued to struggle in the red zone. ... all resulting in a shocking win by the Arizona Cardinals

After one of the hottest starts to the season in NFL history, the Dallas Cowboys seemed to take a 180-degree turn on Sunday as they fell to the winless Arizona Cardinals 28-16 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale ... with Dallas star Micah Parsons maybe ID'ing the problems in one bulk-size quote.

"I think,'' Micah said, "we just beat ourselves. We put ourselves behind the eight ball a couple times. It just wasn't championship football. ... The outcome was definitely shocking. It definitely hurts. I take full ownership. ... The last two weeks we were on fire and today we came out and we got lit.''

That's saying a mouthful - and every single word rings true.

The Parsons-led Cowboys' defense was gashed for over 100 yards of rushing in the first half by the Cardinals on Sunday, a team that had put together some impressive performances before halftime in the first two weeks of the season. In Week 3, however, the Cardinals did not collapse after halftime, and Dallas' issues in the red zone paired with 13 penalties for 107 yards yards in the game helped seal the loss.

Losses like these happen in the NFL, even for good teams, but Sunday's performance out of the Cowboys was shocking to see in comparison to their hot start to the season. In the first half, Dallas' vaunted front-seven saw nearly no penetration, and Parsons was kept quiet until a sack to end the third quarter.

In short, the dominant performances we saw from Dan Quinn's defense against the New York Giants and New York Jets were nowhere to be found in the first half. That set the Cowboys in a hole that revealed another concern: red zone offense.

The Cowboys went 1-for-5 in the red zone on Sunday, complete with Dak Prescott throwing his first interception of the year on a crucial play in the end zone in the fourth quarter. Dallas has a solid kicker in Brandon Aubrey, but settling for field goals won't get the job done oftentimes in this league.

It's just one game, but the penalties, defensive miscues and poor offensive execution in the red zone led to this loss for Dallas. Remedying those issues will be a key focus this week as the Cowboys prepare to host the New England Patriots next Sunday. 

Said Micah: We got to take on every game like it's the Super Bowl. We got to play up to our standard. We can't play down to (our opponent), and that's what I felt like we did today."