The Dallas Cowboys won a hard-fought Thanksgiving battle against the New York Giants, but one player is being accused of going too far.
Dallas took home a 28-20 victory after trailing 13-7 at halftime. The Cowboys scored on three-straight possessions to start the second half and now hold a one-game advantage on New York at 8-3.
But Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates is now saying that Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons “full-on punched” him during the game. Parsons and Dallas did receive a penalty for unnecessary roughness, but Gates expected more punishment according to The Athletic’s Dan Duggan.
“Nick Gates said Micah Parsons ‘full-on punched’ him in the chin on the late unnecessary roughness penalty. ‘I’m surprised he didn’t get ejected, but New York said it was open-handed. He’ll get (fined) tomorrow. He must not like his money,'” Duggan Tweeted on November 24.
Nick Gates said Micah Parsons “full-on punched” him in the chin on the late unnecessary roughness penalty. “I’m surprised he didn’t get ejected, but New York said it was open-handed. He’ll get (fined) tomorrow. He must not like his money.”
It’s not a surprise that things got chippy between the Giants and Cowboys as one of the NFL’s most prominent rivalries and in a season where both teams are vying for a playoff run.
Unfortunately, there is no video we can provide of the incident, but Parsons did acknowledge that it happened in his response to Gates.
Parsons Responds to Giants OL
Anyone who follows Parsons on social media knows that he is not afraid to speak his mind. The second-year defensive end loves to post on Twitter about his Madden 23 games and thoughts on the league, so his response to Gates shouldn’t be a surprise.
Parsons responded to the Giants lineman the day after the game, stating that he was provoked by Gates throughout the contest.
“When he says others things that means , play dirty, take cheap shots and try to hurt other opponents!! I’m never going to intentionally try and hurt another player but we constantly allow this in the league!” Parsons Tweeted on November 25.
Gates hasn’t answered Parsons’ response at the time of writing, but it’s clear that things aren’t going to patch up soon. Dallas and New York won’t see each other again this season, unless they meet in the NFC playoffs.
Cowboys Star Repeating Dominance
Becoming an All-Pro as a rookie is something very few NFL players have accomplished, but Parsons pulled it off. 11 games into his sophomore NFL season, Parsons is showing no signs of slowing down.
As Pro Football Reference shows, Parsons already has 12 sacks in 11 games this year with three forced fumbles to boot. For reference, the former Penn State star put up 13 sacks and three forced fumbles in 16 games in 2021.
It would require a strong finish to the final six games of the season, but Parsons is within range of the Cowboys’ single-season sack record held by team legend DeMarcus Ware. Ware totaled 20 sacks in 2008 and actually holds the second and third-highest totals at 19.5 and 15 sacks respectively.
Parsons will need 1.5 sacks per game for the rest of the season to tie the record, and an additional half-sack somewhere along the way to beat it. Despite the quality of edge rushers that have come through the Cowboys the past decade, Parsons has the best chance to make history.
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Cowboys Star Accused of Punching Giants Star in Thanksgiving Game