Can Cowboys defense continue to stay afloat without Micah Parsons?

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-2 on Sunday Night Football, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 20-17. Despite the absence of All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons and Pro Bowl defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence (foot). Although the Cowboys’ defense was shorthanded, they still managed to defy the odds stepping up to hold the Steelers to 17 points. If not for the defense Dallas probably loses this game, but you have to wonder how long they can keep this up without Parsons.

Parsons’ injury has a weird timeline. It’s hard to judge ankle sprains even with all the advances in medical technology. Sometimes it could be a 2–4-week timetable other times it’s longer. It really depends on the player, severity and how much pain they can withstand while moving on it.

Life without Parsons (potentially)

Week 5 was a great showing without Parsons but when you break it down there’s no guarantee they can keep up this momentum. In the last two games, both of which were wins, this Cowboys defense has given up a total of 32 points. They nearly gave that up in one game during the Week 3 loss to Baltimore. And against New Orleans in Week 2 it was even worse as the defense gave up a whopping 44 points.

Needless to say, Mike Zimmers's defense has settled down the past two weeks but against what most would call “lesser competition at least offensively. The New York Giants aren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut and no one has mistaken the Steelers for that of late either. But hey, it’s the NFL and a win is a win.

Without Parsons and Lawrence Dallas touched up Justin Fields for three sacks. But can they continue this trend if Parsons misses more games? That’s the question. The Cowboys' next game is back at home as they welcome the Detroit Lions to town. Both teams come in 3-2 with the Lions coming off a Week 5 bye.

In Week 4, the Lions dropped 42 on the Seattle Seahawks at home stomping them by 13 points. Like Dallas, Detroit’s usually explosive offense has been a little inconsistent thus far this season. So, this game should be interesting especially where the Cowboys' defense vs. Jared Goff and the Lions offense. When they get it going, they can score in a hurry.

Against the Steelers, the Cowboys took that “next man up” mentality to heart with some names you don’t always hear getting involved in the action. Chauncey Golston, Tyus Wheat, Osa Odighizuwa and Carl Lawson all had half a sack. Golston also added five tackles which tied for third on the team Sunday. Eric Kendricks and DeMarvion Overshown also made their presence known again leading the team in tackles with 18 combined.

Tough sledding in Big D

It'll be tough over the next month and a half, but these are the types of performances the Cowboys defense will need each week especially if Parsons is out for any extended period. He could tough it out and return to the lineup sooner rather than later, but it all depends on how Parsons responds to treatment on that ankle.

One thing that can help this defense, either way, is the offense stepping up and returning to how they looked the past couple of years. The offense has scored 20 points in each of the last two games. While they were both wins, 20 points probably won’t cut it against the better teams in the league like the Lions. 

After Detroit, Dallas has a bye in Week 7 then returns to the field for meetings with San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston and Washington. Unless the defense can play lights out every game moving forward, it’s hard to see the Cowboys winning any of those games scoring just 20 points offensively.

Survival without Parsons (and Lawrence) should he be kept out any longer will depend on many factors. Dallas’ defense looked like they did under Dan Quinn on Sunday but to expect them to hold teams to 17 points multiple games without one if not both of their best defensive players is asking a lot. Continuing to get to the quarterback and creating timely turnovers will help alleviate some pressure. These next six games will likely end up telling the story of the 2024 Dallas Cowboys.