It’s all about Micah Parsons’ return to Dallas as Packers visit Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Micah Parsons is set to take the field against his former team exactly a month after the Green Bay Packers acquired the star pass rusher in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Parsons is pretty sure he’s never been in the visitor’s locker room at AT&T Stadium, and he’s certain he will have his suite under the retractable roof at least the rest of this season because, as he says, “No refunds.”

Of course, the best payback for the two-time All-Pro would be winning in prime time Sunday night.

That would push the Packers (2-1) closer to their expected status as Super Bowl contenders and the Cowboys (1-2) deeper into the hole of also-rans, which is how many have perceived them since owner Jerry Jones unloaded his best player in his prime for two first-round picks and an older run-stopping defensive lineman in Kenny Clark.

“Once the game starts, who’s going to be worried about any trade?” said Parsons, who was shipped out after a long and acrimonious dispute over a contract extension. “It’s just me against them five men in front of me, and then we’ve got one common goal, and that’s to win the football game.”

Still, those five men — and plenty of others — are so familiar to Parsons, there’s no way around how unique the situation is. The perfect symmetry of game day arriving exactly a month since the Aug. 28 trade comes after the Cowboys had to play their first game exactly a week after the stunning deal.

Dallas performed well in that NFL-opening loss to Philadelphia, then the defense was horrifically bad when Dallas found a way to beat the New York Giants, and again in a loss at Chicago, which dropped its first two and hasn’t had a winning season in seven years.

“If you truly do believe, which I truly do believe, that each week is its own week, and you can’t get too high, you can’t get too low,” first-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “I literally haven’t spent a lot of time going, ‘Man, I can’t believe we’re playing Micah this week.’”

Schottenheimer’s players did their best to deliver the same message, in the face of heavy skepticism, of course.

In one breath, Parsons told The Associated Press it was just another game. In another, the two-time All-Pro and 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year said sacking his mentor, Dak Prescott, would be “painful.”

“It’ll definitely be fun,” Prescott said. “Yeah, it’s one me and my fiancée were just talking about the other day and just all the reps of practice, going against Micah in times when he couldn’t hit me, whether him getting back there, just the trash talk back and forth, me telling him he wouldn’t tackle me anyways, he still can’t bring me down.

“Just getting to go out there and compete with a guy that’s a good friend, that I’ve competed with in numbers of ways throughout this building, outside of this building,” the star QB said. “But he’s got five guys up front, plus tight ends and running backs, that he’s got to get through. Then we’ll worry about if he can get to me.”

Don’t forget Clark

All the hoopla surrounding Parsons — just the second player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to have at least 12 in each of his first four seasons — is overshadowing Clark also facing his former team. And Clark was with the Packers more than twice as long as Parsons was with the Cowboys.

The forgotten man?

“That’s up to whoever. That’s on everybody else,” said Clark, a three-time Pro Bowler after the Packers drafted him late in the first round in 2016. “I’m here to win and play my (rear end) off and do everything I can for us to get a win.”

And don’t forget NFL’s sacks leader

With Parsons’ return dominating the headlines, one of his new teammates enters the week as the NFL sacks leader.

Rashan Gary has 4 1/2 sacks and has had at least one in each game. All the attention Parsons has received from opposing defenses has enabled Gary to flourish.

“Micah’s going to make plays. I’ll just put that out there,” Schottenheimer said. “Because Micah’s a great player. But just adding Micah to the mix doesn’t negate the fact that they had really good players there before Micah got there.”

Packers’ penalty problems

The Packers committed 14 penalties in their 13-10 loss at Cleveland. That represented their highest penalty total in a single game since 2010, when they had 18 in a 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Green Bay’s 24 penalties over its past two games represent its biggest total in a two-game stretch since 2010 as well.

The good news for the Packers? They went on to win their most recent Super Bowl title during that 2010 season.

Banged-up fronts

Dallas will face Parsons without two starters on the offensive line. Brock Hoffman will make his second consecutive start in place of center Cooper Beebe, who is on injured reserve with a foot issue. T.J. Bass is stepping in for rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker, who has a high ankle sprain. Star receiver CeeDee Lamb also is out with a high ankle sprain.

For Green Bay, left guard Aaron Banks and right tackle Zach Tom missed the Week 2 victory over Washington. They returned in last week’s 13-10 loss to Cleveland, but Tom lasted just one play and Banks later got hurt as well.

Fast-starting Packers

The Packers have outscored opponents 44-9 in the first three quarters and still haven’t allowed a touchdown before the fourth quarter.

But Green Bay is getting outscored 35-20 in the fourth quarter. The Browns scored all their points in the final four minutes last week.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee contributed to this report.

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