FRISCO, TX — Micah Parsons is rested, refreshed and ready to roll. The First-Team All-Pro pass rusher is returning with his teammates and Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff from the team's bye in Week 7, one that's helped them become the healthiest they've been in a very long time, as preparations ramp up for the upcoming battle against the Los Angeles Rams.
"The bye week is always good," said Parsons on Wednesday. "Mike [McCarthy] usually gives us more time than most places because he knows how much [the season] wears on you. I thought the bye week was good, productive and fun."
Parsons used the time to unwind and enjoy his family.
"I was here [in Dallas] for a little bit," he said. " … Then I went back to Harrisburg [PA] to watch my son play some football. And that's always good."
It was a productive bye week for the Cowboys in several ways, not simply in their ability to get healthy, but also in seeing other top NFC teams suffer losses that helped Parsons and Co. gain ground for the start of the next segment of the season.
There are no longer any undefeated NFL teams, and both the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers own two losses apiece, while the Philadelphia Eagles are only one game ahead of the Cowboys in the NFC East.
Going on a run after the bye is paramount for Dallas. And that's exactly what Parsons expects to happen.
"It's extremely important, especially now that we're heading into November," he said. "This is when it really starts to pick up — the heat of the schedule, the strength of the schedule. It's important that we rally and really come together and face the injuries, and adversity that we faced early on."
It's a Cowboys' defense that leads the NFL in quarterback pressures but also one looking to turn many more of those pressures into sacks, starting with Matthew Stafford, to give Dak Prescott and the offense more opportunities to find their groove going forward.
