Getty Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFC East rivalry between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles dates back to 1960. It is filled with memorable moments, controversial players, lop-sided losses, and bounty-fueled scandals. The feud never gets stale.
Micah Parsons has been one of the major factors in escalating the rivalry in 2023. The Cowboys star always has something to say whether it’s intentional shade or a perceived diss. Parsons was taking heat for comments he made during a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas when the Pro Bowler poked holes at the Eagles’ rebuilt roster. He singled out the loss of Javon Hargrave as one of the reasons why the Cowboys should be the favorites to win the division.
“I think we’re the only team that gained players. We didn’t lose a Javon Hargrave, and then draft somebody,” Parson said. “We have everybody across the board. When you talked about years playing together — years of experience — I think we’re up there to be that better team.”
Micah Parsons sack
Hargrave wasn’t the only key player to leave the nest in free agency. The Eagles watched six starters walk out the door including C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Miles Sanders, Marcus Epps, Isaac Seumalo, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White. Parsons’ point contained truth, although the 24-year-old Pennsylvania native seemed to take it to another level.
“I think we are the top team in the NFC,” Parsons said. “No one can beat you except yourself.”
The Eagles and Cowboys will meet for the first time on November 5 at 4:25 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field. They split the season series in 2022 and the combined average margin of victory in those two games was 7.5 points.
DeMarcus Lawrence Bridging the Gap
DeMarcus Lawrence stirred the pot earlier this offseason when he declared that the gap between the Eagles and Cowboys wasn’t a big one. The star defensive end for Dallas really shouldn’t be crucified for hyping his team up. That is what players are supposed to do.
“The main objective for us is to win out our division, and we got a pretty stacked division … I don’t feel like it’s a huge gap at all,” Lawrence said about the Eagles and Cowboys, via the AP Pro Football Podcast. “I feel like it comes down to certain details of not just the scheme but also of the locker room. I feel like through this time right now, when we head into training camp that, you know, we make those adjustments. We learn those different things that we need to learn about our teammates so we can fully function the way that we should out there on the field.”
However, Lawrence’s comments rubbed some people the wrong way due to his sordid history of trash-talking. Just another day in the NFC East.
How far is the gap between the NFC champion Eagles and the Cowboys? Dallas star DE DeMarcus Lawrence tells @RobMaaddi “it’s not a huge gap at all.”
Listen to the full interview on the AP Pro Football Podcast: t.co/XBzL09udzq
NFC Champions Starting Over from Scratch
The Eagles don’t intend to rest on their laurels as NFC champions heading into the 2023 campaign. Nick Sirianni made it perfectly clear that the goal was to “get better today,” not get back to the Super Bowl when training camp opened. Ditto for general manager Howie Roseman.
“Whatever we’ve done in the past doesn’t matter; it’s what we do going forward,” Roseman told reporters on July 26. “From a roster-building standpoint, from a personnel-building standpoint, we can’t just rely on what’s happened to other teams who have lost a Super Bowl. We have to do what we think is in the best interest to reset, start over, and put us in the best possible position. I think that’s the mindset.”
Back on the grass