Among the reasons Jerry Jones gave for the Cowboys' surprising decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Packers was wanting to help the team's run defense. By getting two first-round picks and Kenny Clark back in the trade, Jones felt the Cowboys had a better shot at improving the run defense.
"The most important thing is we really wanted to stop the run," Jones explained in August after the trade. "And Micah's a wonderful football player, we think this gives us a better chance to stop the run. Other teams knew that, and they threw the ball out quick and they ran against us when we had Micah and they're really emphasizing pass rush."
Parsons has not forgotten about those comments.
During the Packers' 27-23 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, a Cardinals player was called for holding Parsons on a run play. After the game, Parsons said, "Yeah, in the run game, yeah. So I'm pretty decent in the run game," via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
Safe to say, Parsons hasn't held the Packers' run defense back through his couple months in Green Bay. The Packers defense ranks No. 1 against the run, only giving up 76.5 yards per game leading into Week 7. In comparison, the Cowboys rank third-last in the league in run defense, allowing 141.3 yards per game through their first six games. The Cowboys' run defense was also one of the worst units in the NFL last year, but Parsons doesn't appear to have been the issue.
Meanwhile, the Packers run defense is not only thriving with Parsons, but their pass rush has also received a major boost. Parsons sacked Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett three times in the win, including a crucial sack as Brissett was trying to lead Arizona on a game-winning drive. The Packers have totaled 18 sacks on the season through six games, while the Cowboys have tallied just 11 over seven games.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Micah Parsons Took Subtle Jab at Jerry Jones After Packers Win Over Cardinals.
