The Dallas Cowboys‘ Week 1 win over the New York Giants couldn’t have gone any better.
The Cowboys’ 40-0 win over their NFC East rivals was not only the worst shutout loss in the series history between the two teams, it was Dallas’ most lopsided shutout win in franchise history.
Linebacker Micah Parsons — who helped spearhead the win with a sack of his own — issued a “statement” following the big win over one of their biggest rivals.
Via Mark Maske of The Washington Post:
“Micah Parsons in Cowboys’ postgame locker room: ‘I think we’re making a statement which I’ve been trying to make: We’re the best defense in the National Football League.'”
Cowboys Have Argument for NFL’s Best Defensive Unit
The 2022 Cowboys were already one of the elite units in the NFL, ranking fifth in points allowed (20.1 points per game) and fourth in sacks (54). However, their Week 1 performance in a shutout win over a playoff team from last season was on a whole different level.
Not only did Dallas post a shutout win, the Cowboys forced seven sacks and five fumbles. The unit also held Daniel Jones to just 15-of-28 passing for 104 yards and two interceptions while playing the entire game except for the Giants’ last offensive drive.
Parsons’ message didn’t stop there. The Pro Bowl linebacker expected this type of performance heading into the game.
“I saw this before anybody,” Parsons said. “I said I can’t wait to get to New York. I knew it was coming. With ‘execution meets preparation,’ there is no one that can beat it. We’ve already felt this. We’ve been to war before. We knew the standard.”
As Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports points out, the stat sheet doesn’t illustrate Parsons’ impact early on in the game.
“Micah Parsons was particularly effective in this win, especially as they built up the early lead in the first half,” writes Sullivan. “Through the first two quarters, Parsons recorded four pressures and a sack on 18 pass rushes while being double-teamed on half of those rushes, per Next Gen Stats. Parsons finished with three tackles, a sack and two quarterback hits. As a team, the Cowboys tallied seven sacks and 12 quarterback hits on the night.”
DeMarcus Lawrence on Cowboys Win: We Put League on Notice
Parsons isn’t the only member of the Cowboys who feel the team sent a message in their win over the Giants. DeMarcus Lawrence — who also had a sack in the victory — opened up on the team’s huge victory after the game.
“I definitely feel like we put the league on notice,” Lawrence said, via the team’s website. “We’re for real, we’re coming.”
However, Lawrence wouldn’t go so far as to say the win was a “statement” victory, leaving that up to the media to decide.
“If y’all feel like a statement was made, go ahead and put that on the front page with big bold letters,” he said.
The Cowboys will look to continue their hot start to the season when they host the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets in Week 2.
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Cowboys’ Micah Parsons Issues ‘Statement’ Following Blowout Win Over Giants