FRISCO, Texas — Each season, the game in Philadelphia for the Dallas Cowboys means a little bit more for Pennsylvania native Micah Parsons.
It's an opportunity to return to his home state and make an impact against the team he grew up watching in nearby Harrisburg. Now a proud member of the Cowboys, Parsons is looking forward to returning to Lincoln Financial Field after the 2022 version lived up to the hype and then some.
"It's always cool," Parsons said about playing in Philadelphia. "I think the atmosphere last year was pretty exciting. Definitely one of the most fun games I've been in in terms of fans and the energy. It was pretty dope for sure. I'm excited to go back."
Parsons and his defensive unit will take the field against one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Jalen Hurts as the fourth-year signal-caller will look to build upon the Eagles' 6-1 start to the season.
"Jalen is an explosive guy, a guy that can do it with his legs or his arm," Parsons said. "He's really been coming on here the last couple of years. We've definitely got our hands full with a mobile quarterback and where we are right now."
The jump from year-to-year has been significant for Hurts, despite his league-leading eight interceptions at this point in the season. This season, Parsons has seen an improvement in the cerebral part of his game.
"I would just say his processing," he said. "There were times when I first got in the league, maybe his rookie year, his second year, he would hold onto the ball and things like that. But I mean, from this year to last year he's been processing pretty fast and at more of an elite level."
A specific play that has immortalized Hurts and his offensive unit is the "Tush Push" – Philadelphia's iteration of a short-yardage quarterback sneak that has proved to be unstoppable against just about every team in the NFL. For Dallas to get off the field on Sunday, it will almost certainly require stopping one of the more notorious plays in football this season.
"We've just got to go out there and be aggressive," Parsons said. "I don't think there's a real answer. You've just got to stop it. You've got to win first and second down. Not even letting them get to fourth-and-one, things like that, and get off the field on third down. We just can't even let them get in that position."
