Rookie defender Micah Parsons entered Week 14 looking like a lock for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
But if his play in the early going against Washington is any indication, he might be putting himself in contention for Defensive Player of the Year as well.
With the Dallas Cowboys holding an 11-point lead late in the first quarter over their rivals, Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke dropped into the pocket to try and convert a fourth-down situation for the Football Team.
He never had a chance.
Parsons, aligned down on the line of scrimmage in blitz posture, executes a speed rush against right guard Brandon Scherff. The rookie evades the veteran guard with a speed move into the B-Gap, and gets to Heinicke, knocking the football loose. Fellow defender Dorance Armstrong is the man on the spot to capitalize:
MICAH PARSONS IS ABSOLUTELY UNSTOPPABLE. #DallasCowboys
📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/WPuDRmSO8m— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2021
The scoop-and-score gave Dallas an 18-point lead. As for Parsons, the play was his 11th sack of the season, and his third forced fumble of the year. Numbers like these are certain to put him in line for the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but if this continues he might be in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year, as our colleague Doug Farrar argued a few days ago.
