Cowboys' Micah Parsons after 32-point loss to 49ers: 'We're the same caliber playoff team'
Sunday was a bad day for the Dallas Cowboys.
After a 3-1 start against a slate featuring the New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Aaron Rodgers-less New York Jets (combined record through Week 5: 5-15), the Cowboys were anointed as the championship contenders so many in football want them to be, a recurring theme whenever "America's Team" shows signs of life.
On Sunday, they met an actual contender in the San Francisco 49ers. It did not go well. San Francisco jumped out to a 21-7 halftime lead then landed the finishing blow in the second half of a 42-10 victory.
The game was over long before the final whistle as quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Cooper Rush finished for starters Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott. The 49ers joined the Philadelphia Eagles as the only 5-0 teams in football while the Cowboys dropped to 3-2, left wondering exactly where they stand in the NFL pecking order.
Prescott wasn't sure, calling the loss maybe "the most humbling game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Micah Parsons had a different take.
The Cowboys linebacker doesn't see a tangible difference in the Cowboys and the team that just beat them by 32 points.
"I don't think they're really at a higher level than us," Parsons told reporters postgame. "I think we're the same caliber playoff team if not the same talent standard as them. I just feel like we need to really reconsider some things, get together and fix some things.
"I feel like it was a few plays away. The score doesn't really shape what happened out there."
Parsons instead contended that "we beat ourselves" while pointing to penalties and failed defensive stops on third downs.
Unlike the team he plays for, there's no doubt about Parsons' greatness. A two-time All-Pro in two NFL seasons, Parsons has entrenched himself as one of the NFL's dominant disruptive forces at just 24 years old. On a field that he shared with Nick Bosa, it's fair to debate the title of best defender at Levi's Stadium on Sunday night.
But it's no longer reasonable to discuss the Cowboys and the 49ers in the same conversation. The 49ers demonstrated themselves superior in virtually every aspect of the game.
They outgained the Cowboys 421 yards to 197. They forced four turnovers (three interceptions, one lost fumble) while committing one. They sacked Prescott four times while allowing just one of Purdy. They dominated the ball while holding a 37:05-22:55 edge in time of possession. They averaged 6.4 yards per play to 4 for the Cowboys. They produced 25 first downs against just eight for the Cowboys.
The score accurately reflects what happened on the field.
But if you're Parsons — an elite performer and competitor — accepting the premise that your team is a significant level below the league's best five weeks into an 18-week season is not an option. There's too much at stake. There's too much pressure — especially under the watch of owner Jerry Jones. And there's too much pride.
And there's a long way to go. A lot can change between Week 5 and the playoffs. Narratives that are entrenched in the first quarter of a season are often long forgotten by the postseason. Losing faith in Week 5 is a certain path to failure.
Parsons and the Cowboys can't afford to accept that they're not on the 49ers' level. There's just nothing from Sunday night to indicate that they are.
