CLEVELAND — It was slated to be a dog fight when the Dallas Cowboys met the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Stadium to open the NFL regular season, but the latter got put in a kennel early and often as the former went rabid in their attack, and that is especially true for Micah Parsons and Mike Zimmer's defense.
The world got its first look at what the unit might be capable of under Zimmer, and against a highly-mobile playmaking quarterback in Deshaun Watson with his stable of weapons — including five-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper and newly-acquired wideout Jerry Jeudy — wherein Parsons helped lead a brutal onslaught of pressure.
They allowed only one first down in the entire first half and ultimately only 17 points the entire game; and Parsons (agreeing with All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs after the game) says they're just getting started.
"We didn't open up the full bag," said Parsons. " … I think the sky's the limit. This is just the beginning."
The defense was flying around to the point where you have to wonder if American Airlines will give them frequent flier miles for their efforts. From Eric Kendricks to DeMarvion Overshown to DeMarcus Lawrence to Osa Odighizuwa and more, the defensive front was outstanding.
And then came the secondary, who basically shoved Cooper, Jeudy and Elijah Moore into a locker and spun the combination on the lock.
The run defense shined. The coverage shined. The contain on Watson shined.
"We have those rotational pieces and obviously we draft it pretty well, so it looks good and it helps that we can rotate when you're tired and things like that," said Parsons of the Cowboys being able to throw waves of talented defenders at teams. … Man, I feel like we could have done more to anybody else.
"Deshaun's tough. He's a tough quarterback, bro. He's hard to get down. He's scrappy, he's relentless. He kept getting up, man [but] it was challenging for Cleveland to really dial into the offense."
The three-time All-Pro pass rusher was lined up in several different spots on Sunday in Cleveland, making it difficult for the Browns to key in on him pre-snap, to resounding success.
He did give praise to Watson for his toughness and grit, though, and in being able to keep Parsons from having what could've otherwise been a multi-sack day to begin the season.
"I think I missed two or three [sacks]," said Parsons. "He's tough. I'm going to have nightmares tonight for sure. I'm supposed to start this year off with [three sacks]. … I don't think I played to my standard. I've gotta finish those plays.."
Parsons says he's making no excuses and is determined to get back into the lab following this game to try and right that ship for Week 2 — in the home opener against the New Orleans Saints.
"First home game? They've got Derek Carr and they just dropped 40, so they're clicking," said Parsons. "We've gotta hit this lab and get cooking, but the Lion's coming. Gotta protect the Den. Let's go."
The Cowboys owned the longest home win streak in the league before it was derailed by the Green Bay Packers in January, and they're looking to start a new one, effective Sept. 15.
