Micah Parsons has made some bold statements since returning from injury. The All-Pro defender firmly believes the Dallas Cowboys are going to make a run and threaten for a playoff spot. They probably need to win out and hope several teams crash out over the final five games.
Parsons' confidence, though brash, is admirable. Most importantly, Parsons has backed up his words with utter dominance on the gridiron. There's an argument to be made that he's been the best defensive player in football since returning.
It is no surprise the Cowboys' recent inspired defensive play coincided with Parsons' return. He makes everyone around him better and the team has reciprocated his energy.
Slowly but surely, the defense is getting healthy. DaRon Bland is back and Trevon Diggs is practicing after missing the last two games. There is still one missing piece to the puzzle, though, and that is DeMarcus Lawrence.
Parsons said after the Thanksgiving win that Lawrence could return for Dallas' primetime clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. Well, it seems Parsons may have jumped the gun and got fans' hopes up for nothing.
Cowboys' DE DeMarcus Lawrence is not expected to play Week 15 vs. the Bengals
As of this writing, the Cowboys have not yet opened the practice window for Lawrence. While the four-time Pro Bowler isn't far away from returning, this makes him a long shot, at best, to suit up on Monday Night Football.
If it's any consolation, ESPN's Todd Archer reported that Lawrence's rehab has "gone well" and his return could come in Week 15 against the Panthers. It seems the Cowboys will have to wait one more week to get their excellent defensive end and defensive leader back.
Lawrence has been out since Week 4 with a mid-foot sprain. In three-plus games, he tallied three sacks, four tackles for loss, five QB hits and seven defensive stops. He wasn't stuffing the stat sheet by any means, but it is impossible to quantify his impact by merely reading box scores.
Lawrece has been among the best run defenders at his position for a decade. He is elite as they come as far as setting the edge and he remains underrated as a pass rusher. While Parsons is the undisputed best player on the defense, Lawrence is still the heart and soul.
The adrenaline was undoubtedly still pumping after a big Thanksgiving win and Parsons is clearly eager to get Lawrence back, but he could have saved Cowboys fans a lot in the false hope department by simply not giving an update on his running mate.
