Cowboys LB Micah Parsons had a blunt reaction to today's embarrassing loss to the Saints.
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a humiliating 44-19 defeat in their 2024 home opener against the New Orleans Saints, dropping their record to 1-1. However, star linebacker Micah Parsons was quick to dismiss any notion that the defensive lapses were related to the scheme put in place by first-year defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
Parsons immediately came to Zimmer's defense, saying today's setback was the result of him and the rest of his teammates getting outplayed by the visiting Saints.
“To me, it had nothing to do with the scheme,” Parsons explained, via Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com.
“I thought Zim called a pretty good game. At the end of the day, I believe that we just got outplayed. I don't think whoever played on that field – everyone didn't play to a hundred percent. That's just me being accountable and saying the truth and everyone, we've all got to play better.”
When asked what he felt went wrong with the defense, Parsons responded that “the little things” are what matters most.
“Just focus on the keys, man,” he explained. “We've got guys. Just focus on the little things. And the little things matter in games like this because everyone's trying to make a play now and then, at the end of the day, we've got to use our hands and feet.”
“We're not tackling well. We're arm tackling. We're trying to pull down. We've got to be aggressive.”
Not long afterward, Parsons also took exception to a post from the Cowboys fan page ‘Blogging The Boys' on X (formerly Twitter), responding swiftly.
“allowing the opponent to score a touchdown on literally every possession is an interesting strategy choice from Mike Zimmer,” the page wrote.
Parsons quickly defended Zimmer, pointing out that the defensive coordinator wasn’t the one on the field.
“S**t ain’t have nothing to do with zim but everything on us!! Zim ain’t the one playing!” Parsons responded.
Micah Parsons, Cowboys defense faltered mightily vs. Saints
As part of the humiliating loss in front of the home fans, the Cowboys matched a team record by allowing 35 points in the first half, struggling against New Orleans' aerial assault. Notable plays included a 70-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Rashid Shaheed and a 57-yard touchdown throw to Alvin Kamara.
The game went awry for the Cowboys from the start. The Saints marched 80 yards on their opening drive, finishing with a 21-yard touchdown run by Kamara to take an early lead. Additionally, the Saints would advance to the Dallas red zone on every offensive drive until early in the 4th quarter.
The Cowboys will have a chance to get back into the win column when they host the winless Baltimore Ravens next Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.
