The Washington Commanders can't mess around with Micah Parsons in Week 12.
The Dallas Cowboys are walking wounded, unhappy, and underachieving. So what else is new?
Their current state makes the Cowboys seemingly easy pickings for the Washington Commanders in Week 12. However, it would be a mistake to overlook some of the elite talent still on the Dallas roster, including Micah Parsons.
An All-Pro who can wreck the pass pocket from multiple spots, Parsons will take over the game at Northwest Stadium if the Commanders don't get aggressive. History reveals they should because Parsons has six sacks in as many games against Washington.
Kliff Kingsbury can snap that streak if he follows a two-pronged approach based on attacking Parsons in both phases. Fortunately, the offensive coordinator can borrow a page from the greatest coach in franchise history.
Kliff Kingsbury must follow Joe Gibbs rule vs. Micah Parsons
Legendary head coach Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls because he was a gifted strategist who identified simple solutions to complex problems. Take how Gibbs dealt with the New York Giants' preternatural quarterback hunter Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor was a menace who forced offenses to change, so Gibbs decided to put somebody head-up against the Pro Football Hall of Famer no matter where he aligned. Thus was born the H-Back, a roving tight end/fullback type who could hit him early and often.
Don Warren was Gibbs' best practitioner of the role, but Kingsbury has a pair of able mobile blockers. They are John Bates and rookie Ben Sinnott. Both should take turns lining up directly over Parsons wherever they find No. 11.
That'll mean motioning to the edge when Parsons is playing defensive end. It will also require Bates or Sinnott to stay in the backfield to intercept the former Penn State star whenever he's in the A-gap and set to rush through the interior.
Giving Parsons that initial barrier to overcome will help Washington's regressing offensive line. It will also slow him down for the next hit from a bigger blocker.
Passing the 25-year-old off to different hitters in the meat grinder will be key to making Parsons pay a high cost for every attempt to get to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Commanders need to trap Micah Parsons in the running game
Wearing Parsons out with bulk and contact should extend to how the Commanders attack the Cowboys on the ground. The emphasis is to get big bodies on him in space.
Tight ends can play a role by slanting across to cut Parsons down on counter-blocking, but trap plays might work better. Letting the pass-rusher start downhill, only to get hit by guards turning out, or by Bates or Sinnott cracking back against the grain, will use his attacking instincts against him and soon leave the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year frustrated.
The best part about the trap game is the flexibility it affords Kingsbury. He'll be able to mix up the looks and have different players, including center Tyler Biadasz and right tackle Andrew Wylie, take turns being the blocker to catch Parsons by surprise.
Showing Parsons a different picture again feeds into the necessity to get him to overthink and play a step slower. Get him irritated and the underlying tension between him and the Cowboys' coaching staff could boil over.
