What Did Micah Parsons Say About CJ Stroud Minutes Before MNF Kickoff?

Off the field, Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud are great friends. On the field, they’re fierce rivals. Parsons left Penn State before Stroud got to Ohio State, but their direct opposition carried over to the NFL.

Tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup is the first time they’ve faced one another. Ahead of the contest, Parsons spoke with ESPN’s Lisa Salters about what he – and the Dallas Cowboys’ defense – needed to do to slow down Stroud’s Houston Texans. He gave Stroud quite lofty praise.

“[We] gotta get after him. When he’s comfortable… he’s probably the best quarterback in the NFL… [we] gotta put a little pressure on him, and get him off his spot.”

Parsons recorded only one sack in his first four games, then missed five weeks with an injury. He returned with intensity in Week 10, posting two sacks and one tackle for loss. He’s hoping to do even more damage while helping Dallas overcome an early 14-0 deficit tonight.

Micah Parsons believes the Cowboys can turn their season around

Dallas’ outlook for the remainder of the 2024 campaign is bleak. Starting quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season, and the defense is yielding 28.8 points per game through Week 10. At 3-6, it would take a mammoth effort for them to climb out of their hole. That said, Parsons isn’t giving up hope. He thinks the Cowboys can still salvage things.

“[We’ve] gotta take it day by day, and that day starts tonight. We’ve gotta take care of business tonight. At home… Monday Night [Football]… we’ve gotta take advantage of that.”

Dallas, thus far, has not taken advantage. They allowed wide receiver Nico Collins to scamper 77 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first snap, but were bailed out by a Texans’ penalty. Houston still scored on the possession, courtesy of a 45-yard scoring run from Joe Mixon.

Houston leads 17-10 with 5:55 remaining in the second half.