The eyes of the NFL world will be on AT&T Stadium this Sunday night when Micah Parsons returns to face the Dallas Cowboys for the first time since Jerry Jones shockingly shipped him to the Green Bay Packers last month. Longtime Packer Kenny Clark, of course, will also be facing his former team for the first time, but we all know where the main focus will be in this rivalry matchup.
While Parsons has said that he feels this is just another game, the four-time Pro Bowler did discuss what it might be like to sack Dak Prescott, for whom he's long had a lot of respect.
"It's going to be painful," Parsons said. "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."
Micah Parsons and the Packers are poised to pounce on the Cowboys' depleted offensive line
Parsons obviously isn't the only one excited about this matchup, and he and the rest of the Packers' defensive front should get plenty of opportunities at Prescott come Sunday night.
Sure, the Cowboys have only allowed five sacks through the first three weeks of the season, good for a tie for the eighth-fewest in the league. But all five have come in the last two games, which isn't a coincidence.
In their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, when they allowed zero sacks, the offensive line was at full strength. But in Week 2 against the New York Giants, center Cooper Beebe went down with a high-ankle sprain and now sits on injured reserve. And this past week against the Chicago Bears, rookie guard Tyler Booker suffered the same injury and is expected to miss several weeks as well.
To make matters worse, superstar wideout CeeDee Lamb is also out of action with an ankle ailment of his own. As such, tight end Jake Ferguson will likely be called upon to catch more passes, thus taking him off the line as an extra blocker.
So, again, the Packers are in prime position to pounce, not that they wouldn't be doing so anyway, as Green Bay ranks fifth in the NFL in sacks thus far, racking up 10 through three games. And while the Cowboys' O-line issues may mostly be on the interior, that's not really going to matter, as the Packers' pass-rush attack comes from everywhere, not just from the edge with Parsons and league sack leader Rashan Gary.
With all the attention Parsons commands, Gary has obviously benefited the most, but Devonte Wyatt has undoubtedly enjoyed having No. 1 around as well and has tallied two sacks from the interior.
Simply put, Dallas doesn't match up well. Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton are just no match for Parsons and Gary on the edge, and the Cowboys' best offensive linemen, guard Tyler Smith, will likely have to help those two out quite a bit during Sunday's contest.
The Packers are only two back of the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams for the league lead in sacks, but don't be surprised if they're sitting atop the leaderboard once Week 4 comes to an end.