FRISCO, Texas – Micah Parsons didn't get the chance to return to his home state last year and play against the Eagles in the 2021 season finale. An illness kept Parsons from making the trip to Philly in Week 18, the only thing that truly slowed him down during his Rookie of the Year season.
But as the Cowboys get ready to return to Pennsylvania this week in a showdown with the first-place Eagles, it does appear as if Parsons, a standout at Penn State, will be ready to play at Lincoln Financial Field, despite an injury setback on Sunday in LA.
Truth be told, it's hard to classify Parsons' injury as a setback at all, considering he fought through it in the second half against the Rams and still had two sacks and a forced fumble.
Parsons said his left groin bothered him throughout the game but said he willed himself to fight through it "for his teammates."
But on Monday, head coach Mike McCarthy sounded encouraged by Parsons' status.
"(He's) good. I saw him earlier," McCarthy said in his press conference. "He's getting better."
And a few hours earlier, Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones was asked about Parsons' health on 105.3 "The Fan" and he had a similar outlook.
"We'll see how the week goes, but feel good about the prognosis with him," Jones said. "I know he's checked in this morning and felt good. So, feel good about him being available (against the Eagles)."
Jones added the Cowboys closely monitored the situation on Sunday with Parsons, allowing him the chance to return to the game in the second half.
"I think we've got the greatest trainers in the NFL in Jim Mauer and Britt Brown. They're certainly going to take care of our guys, not put them in harm's way and make things worse," Jones said. "I think they felt Micah was at a place where he could, as long as he was comfortable ... that he could do it without making it worse."
That decision certainly helped the Cowboys on the field as they shut out the Rams in the second half, keeping them at 10 points despite LA's four trips inside Dallas territory. Both of Parsons' sacks occurred in the second half with the Rams driving for points.
This season, Parsons is tied for the NFL lead with six sacks, along with San Francisco's Nick Bosa and Matt Judon (Patriots).
