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While the NFL’s MVP award almost always goes to a quarterback, Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons deserves serious consideration based on his performance this year, according to Heavy NFL insider Matt Lombardo. During Heavy’s The Matt Lombardo Show on November 29, he made the case for Parsons as a worthy contender.
“We really need to start talking about Micah Parsons as a possible MVP,” Lombardo said. “I know the conversation has been Defensive Player of the Year and all that, and that’s fine. But when I look at the Dallas Cowboys, they’re also a team that I think could play spoiler in the NFC. They’re a team that has all the pieces in place to make a run, and Dan Quinn’s defense is a huge reason why.”
The Cowboys defense currently ranks fifth in yards allowed per game, with 309.6 and third in points allowed with 17.2. They also lead the league in sacks per pass attempt, getting to the quarterback on more than 12% of snaps, according to the NFL’s Game Statistics and Information System.
“Micah Parsons is a centerpiece of that defense,” Lombardo explained. “He’s a potential MVP in his second season because his performance this year has been absolutely staggering. He has 12.0 sacks, he has six games of 2.0 sacks, so he’s getting to the quarterback quite often on top of all the pressures and all the quarterback hits.
“He’s the most disruptive defender on the most disruptive defense in the game today, and he’s on pace for eighteen and a half sacks. That’s a big number. It’s a really big number. Lawrence Taylor won the MVP in 1986 with 20.5 sacks. Parsons has already forced 3 fumbles through the Cowboys first 11 games, and he’s one of the few players in the game today that you have to account for on every single play.”
This week Parsons added a quarterback hit, a defended pass, and 2 tackles to his numbers. He’s now on pace for 17.0 sacks.
Micah Parsons Would Have to Beat Out Quarterbacks
The biggest challenge for Parsons as an MVP contender might not be what he can do on the field, but whether voters will go for anyone other than a quarterback. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012, and the last defender was the previously referenced Lawrence Taylor in 1986.
“I know it’s a quarterback-driven award, the MVP is,” Lombardo explained “I know it’s an offense-oriented league that points matter, high-flying offenses and highlight real plays matter most, but Michael Parsons should be getting serious MVP consideration, and with ranked choice voting where the voters can list their choices one, two, or three, I think there’s a very real chance that based on his production, he’s going to get even third and second place votes, that there’s a very real chance Michael Parsons could steal the MVP award, and I think it’s deserved.”
Jimmy Johnson Has Strong Words About Micah Parsons
Don’t just take Lombardo’s word for it, as former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson thinks Parsons might be the best player he’s ever seen.
Johnson told 105.3 The Fan earlier this month that after a lifetime of watching football, Parsons may top anyone he’s watched. In an interview quoted by SI.com, Johnson said, “I know my buddy Bill Belichick is gonna get mad at me, but [Parsons] may be the best player I’ve seen. Of Course, Bill is gonna say Lawrence Taylor, but Micah Parsons amazes me.”
