For the entirety of the first four years of his NFL career, when recent Packers star acquisition Micah Parsons needed to bend someone’s ear on the challenges of playing a high-profile position for arguably the most high-profile franchise in all of American sports, he knew who he could turn to: Cowboys quarterback and teammate Dak Prescott.
On Sunday, four weeks after he was traded from Dallas to Green Bay, Parsons will have the eerie experience of lining up as a visiting player in his old home stadium, facing his old team while he’s still getting accustomed to his new one. And he will be tasked with the job of hitting his old friend Prescott, and hitting him hard.
Speaking to the Associated Press this week, Parsons said of sacking Prescott, “It’s going to be painful. That’s my guy. He was always like a good mentor for me. But you know how it is, he always told me if I ever faced him that it’ll be a great matchup, so I’m excited to see what Sunday brings itself.”
Packers, Cowboys Eager for a Win
The game will be played on national TV on Sunday night, and while there will be ample emotion on both sides, the challenge will be keeping focus on getting the win. The Packers found themselves a bit too wrapped in their own hype after winning their first two games, and went into Cleveland in Week 3 and laid an egg, losing a mistake-packed game to the Browns, 13-10.
The Cowboys are off to a 1-2 start, and after good showings in Week 1 (narrow loss to the Eagles) and Week 2 (win over the Giants), they were knocked around by the Bears in Chicago in Week 3, 31-14. They’re itching to get back on the field just as much as Green Bay is.
GettyDallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
Micah Parsons ‘Accepted My Fate’ After Trade
For Parsons, the goal is to put the emotions aside and simply try to win a football game. He was traded on August 28 for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark and has gone through the mental processing that upheaval required.
Parsons then signed a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers, with $136 million guaranteed, setting a non-quarterback record in the NFL.
The presence of Prescott notwithstanding, Parsons said he will do his best to treat the Cowboys game as one of 17.
“I accepted my fate weeks ago when the trade happened,” Parsons said. “So for me, it’s just all about playing another game and just doing what I do best, and that’s just be a disruptive football player. I think the media and the fans are trying to blow it up to be such a big thing. But I just look at it as just another game at AT&T.”
Packers’ Micah Parsons Admits ‘Painful’ Part of Week 4 Matchup