Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons stormed off the field at AT&T Stadium after his team found a new way to lose on Monday Night to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the game tied at 20-20 deep in the fourth quarter, Dallas managed to block Cincinnati’s punt on a fourth and 27 from the Bengals 29. Amani Oruwariye – playing in just his fifth game of the season – inexplicably fumbled the ball while trying to advance it and Cincinnati recovered.
Three plays later, Burrow connected with star receiver Ja’Marr Chase on a 40-yard touchdown to put the Bengals up 27-20. ESPN cameras picked up a distraught Parsons on the sideline, grabbing his head in disbelief.
After Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush was unable to engineer a comeback and with time still on the clock, Parsons marched off the field.
“We’re paying a due that’s no fair,” a teary-eyed Parsons told the press at his locker after the game. “I don’t know if it’s bad luck [or] karma.”
Parsons and the Cowboys defense were able to hold the high-flying Bengals offense to just 20 points with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Still, it wouldn’t be enough for his team to secure the win and claw back into playoff contention.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! THE COWBOYS BLOCKED THE PUNT BUT CINCY GOT THE BALL BACK AFTER A DALLAS PLAYER TOUCHED THE BALL! #CINvsDAL | ABC, ESPN pic.twitter.com/vaMWLRHxIa
ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024
Dallas’s defense also lost ascending second-year linebacker Demarvion Overshown to a scary injury in the contest. “I cried,” Parsons admitted when he saw his teammate go down. “That’s like my little bro. He don’t deserve that. He really don’t.”
Parsons, a two-time First-team All-Pro, is having a down season by his standards while he’s dealt with a surfeit of injuries. His 6.5 sacks put him on track for a single-season low after logging 13+ each of the first three years of his career.
The Cowboys were led by the 141 total yards from running back Rico Dowdle. The fifth-year rusher carried the ball 18 times and has finally wrestled the first position on the depth chart ahead of veteran Ezekiel Elliott.
The loss almost certainly eliminates Dallas from playoff contention; at 5-8, the team sits three games behind the Washington Commanders for the last NFC wild-card spot with four games to go.
The Cowboys will look to turn around their sinking season next weekend when they visit the 3-9 Carolina Panthers.
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