A little over a week ago, the Dallas Cowboys had one of more feared pass-rush tandems in the NFL, and now, the team is facing the prospect of being without edge-rusher Micah Parsons and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for multiple weeks.
Both suffered injuries in Dallas’ 20-15 win over the New York Giants on “Thursday Night Football,” severely weakening the Cowboys’ pass-rush three of their toughest opponents coming up over the next three weeks in the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.
Not being on the field to help his teammates is just one of the frustrating parts about being sidelined with a high ankle sprain, according to Parsons.
“It's just frustrating for real,” Parsons said, via CBS Sports. “I put a lot of effort and energy into being ready for the team, so it hurts me. I feel like I'm letting people down. I kind of [thought] of myself as [being] invincible for a while. It's humbling. It's humbling. ... It's part of that test. Faith, keeping that faith alive. Come back strong.”
Parsons has been Dallas’ best pass-rusher this season. Through four games, he led the team in pressures (21), hurries (15) and QB hits (five), per Pro Football Focus, and he ranks fifth in all three categories across the entire NFL.
Parsons was seen Monday at the Cowboys facility in a walking boot and using a scooter to get around. The timeline for his return is tough to peg given the recovery rate for high ankle sprains are different for each player, though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport speculated Parsons could return in three weeks against the 49ers.
“It's just going to come down to how I'm attacking this and getting right with [head athletic trainer] Jim [Maurer] and getting ahead of this, so that I can get back as fast as possible,” Parsons added. “I'm trying to back as fast as possible myself. Don't want it to linger. I want to be able to go into it and just be ready.”
