After an embarrassing Week 2 loss in front of their home crowd, the Dallas Cowboys have another tough matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons had a blunt reaction to the team's loss after the game. Days later, he emphasized a necessary message to his team.
“It's a prove-it weekend,” Parsons said, via Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com. “And I'm not just putting anything on any of my teammates. I'm saying myself included. I need to step up. We all need to step up.
“It would hurt me more if we all didn't step up. If we all played down to that standard again, that just tells me we're not moving in the direction that we should be moving.”
The interesting component is that the Cowboys played an impressive Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns. Although quarterback Dak Prescott didn't shine, the defense certainly did. As a whole, they had seven pass deflections, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. The Cowboys allowed only three points in the first half against the Browns.
Why is the Cowboys and Ravens Week 3 matchup important for Micah Parsons?
The Cowboys are currently 1-1 in the NFC East. Although they haven't played a division opponent yet, they've either embarrassed teams, or they've been embarrassed themselves. The latter occurred against the New Orleans Saints, where the Cowboys might have seen a ghost.
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Saints running back Alvin Kamara gashed the defensive front, going for four total touchdowns on the day. As a result, Saints quarterback Derek Carr had a field day, throwing for 243 yards and touchdowns. Also, Carr only had 11 completions, as he exposed the deep passing game and capitalized on it.
Even though the Browns game showed promise, the Saints game was a step in the opposite direction. The Cowboys have a tough task against the dual-threat quarterback and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. Regardless, Parsons knows what the mission is for his team.
“We had three dropbacks last game… it's like we're playing pony football over again,” Parsons said. “So until we fix the fundamentals, I'm not even worried about Lamar throwing at this point.”
The Ravens are hoping to erase a winless streak to start their season. After losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders, the Ravens are hungry to add a win to their season. The interconference matchup will be Fox's Game of the Week in the Week 3 showdown.
