Buffalo Bills opponent preview: Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons

At the moment, no one in the NFL has a better record than the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, three teams have the same record, but none better. When it comes to points and points per drive, there’s no tie. Dallas stands alone at the top.

The Buffalo Bills’ defense will have its work cut out this weekend — and let’s just say a shutout is highly unlikely. To come away with a victory, Buffalo will need to put points on the board themselves. One major obstacle for this goes by the name of “Micah Parsons.” Let’s do a quick peek at Parson’s play this season against the Philadelphia Eagles and cross our fingers that the Bills can prevent him from adding to his current 12.5 sack total.

Play 1 — Shove time

I’m not sure if you know this, but I’m a bit of a math and science guy. Micah Parsons is listed in the 245-pound range. Lane Johnson, his opponent at right tackle on the play above, is roughly 80 pounds heavier. Lane Johnson was also a first team All-Pro last year. It’s somewhat significant then how quickly he was backed up into his quarterback.

Play 2 — Slippery

I like Micah Parson’s casual-looking extension of the left arm. On this play, It allowed him to slip free of the block with minimal effort and begin a foot race to the ball. He was at a disadvantage but he’s plenty fast enough that he was able to force Jalen Hurts wide and limit the run to basically nothing.

Play 3 — Sack

In play one Micah Parsons overpowered Lane Johnson. He did it again during this rep and got the sack while basically also tackling the offensive lineman. That’s pretty fun.

Play 4 — Shifty

Let’s add a little shiftiness to the equation. A quick jab step to the left on this play was a precursor to a hard cut to his right and right around the guard for a near sack. Parsons’ quickness is a huge part of the story, but so is the fact that this was a completed catch for a big gain. Parsons is quick, and the Bills may need to be even quicker.

Play 5 — Run support

While the biggest threat to Buffalo from Parsons will come on passing downs, his skill set can translate to success on run downs as well. Here Parsons collapsed a lane before the back could hit it. The only path left leads to Parsons who made the tackle with one arm.

The Final Straw

While the top-scoring offense is certainly a factor, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is the ninth-best in the NFL when it comes to points per drive. A player like Parsons makes it easy to see why. Ninth-best isn’t insurmountable, but it’s pretty far away from a gimme too. Josh Allen and company will need to be ready for this one.