The Green Bay Packers probably didn’t need any extra motivation heading into a Week 4 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, but owner Jerry Jones handed them a little bit anyway.
Jones spoke with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, September 23. During the interview, Micah Parsons‘ former employer was respectful of the superstar edge rusher he traded away to Green Bay just ahead of the season.
However, Jones also took a bit of a shot at the four-time Pro Bowler, intimating that there are effective ways to attack Parsons’ game, and that the Cowboys are uniquely positioned to do so given their shared history with the linebacker.
“I think the world of Micah. I might say I wish him well, but it’s obvious I don’t this weekend in terms of Green Bay winning the ballgame,” Jones said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He’s going to make some plays no matter how you play him. But when I saw [other teams] play us well with Micah in the game, and it did happen, then obviously we’ll be looking to try to run those kinds of plays [against him].”
Jones added that the Cowboys will not create a tribute for Parsons in his return to AT&T Stadium.
Cowboys’ Best Chance to Beat Packers Is to Run Football Effectively
Jones didn’t elaborate on precisely what those plays will be. However, he implied that Parsons is a subpar run defender when listing the reasons he dealt the pass rusher in return for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
“This was a move to get us successful in the playoffs. This was a move to be better on defense, stopping the run,” Jones said following the trade in late August, per Fox Sports. “And it was a deliberate move, a well-thought-out move to make this happen.”
Presumably, that means Jones believes the Cowboys must run early and often against Green Bay if they hope to win under the bright lights of “Sunday Night Football.” And there may be something to that, as the Cleveland Browns were finally able to break down the Packers’ defense late last week after Green Bay pitched a shutout for more than 56 minutes of game time.
Quinshon Judkins carried the football 18 times for 94 yards and a score, while the Browns rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries as an offense (5.1 yards per attempt). It’s also worth noting that more than 40 percent of Judkins’ gains came on one rush (38 yards). Furthermore, it required an interception by safety Grant Delpit and a subsequent return to Green Bay’s 4-yard line for Cleveland to punch in its first and only touchdown of the game.
Packers, Micah Parsons Have Edge Over Dallas With CeeDee Lamb Sidelined
For his part, Parsons has been decent against the run this season. Pro Football Focus has afforded Parsons an overall player grade of 90.1 through three games, which is third among 153 qualifying edge rushers. His pass-rush grade is 91.5, which is also third, while his run-defense grade is closer to average at 61.7 (68th out of 153 players at the position).
It’s also fair to note that Parsons has been ramping up throughout the early portion of the campaign after sitting out the entire preseason and joining the Packers’ defense with roughly a week and a half to get up to speed on its schemes.
So as Parsons likely improves with each passing week, the Cowboys must concern themselves with how to operate absent wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who will likely miss at least two games with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Dallas’ 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Cowboys have wideout George Pickens on whom to lean in Lamb’s absence, but going from two legitimate No. 1 options in the pass game down to one changes the way the Packers’ defense will attack Dallas.
Running back Javonte Williams has feasted on light boxes for most of the Cowboys’ first three games, as opposing defenses put more defensive backs on the field to guard against explosive playmaking on behalf of the Dallas wideouts.
But Green Bay doesn’t need to be as concerned about that with Lamb out. That means the types of plays Jones wants to run in an attempt to take whatever advantage his team can of Parsons’ shortcomings will have a harder time finding success, as Green Bay will more often have the personnel on the field most equipped to handle them.