So, who won the Micah Parsons trade? Well, no one…at least for now.
The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers played to a 40-40 tie in Week 4 of Sunday Night Football at AT&T Stadium.
Green Bay led 13-2 for most of the first half, but a quick Dallas turnaround right before halftime set the stage for a high-scoring second half.
The Packers needed to force overtime after Dallas scored a touchdown late with just three plays. Dallas then received the ball first in overtime and nearly took six minutes off the clock.
Jordan Love led a drive needing a touchdown, but threw a risky pass with just one second left to settle for a short field goal to tie at 40-40.
Here are takeaways to analyze the primetime game further:
The Micah Parsons game ends…inconsequentially
The biggest storyline of the game was how Parsons would perform in his quick return to Dallas. He ended the game with one solo tackle (three total) and three QB hits, including Green Bay’s lone sack of the game late on that prevented a Dak Prescott touchdown run.
He also had eight pressures and a 35.4% pass rush win rate, according to PFF. With no team winning, Parsons’ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended on an anticlimactic note.
Could a playoff matchup be in the cards? That probably depends on the Cowboys.
Cowboys’ end to first half saved game
The Cowboys struggled for most of the first half and didn’t look like they’d be in the game at all. But after an 11-play, 95-yard drive at the 5:09 mark of the second quarter, the 13-2 scoreline became 13-9.
Then Dallas forced a fumble on Love and recovered, resulting in a 15-yard Prescott-to-George Pickens dime on the ensuing play.
Pickens himself had an excellent game in CeeDee Lamb’s absence, catching eight passes on 11 targets for 134 yards and two touchdowns.
And it was that short span just before halftime that changed the momentum of the game and the respective locker room team talks.
Packers’ NFC status still murky
Now that the Packers have Parsons, just how much of a Super Bowl contender are they? While many had the Packers as true contenders in the wake of the Parsons move, a team’s ultimate ceiling is always defined by the QB1.
Love threw for 337 yards, three touchdowns and no picks on 31 of 43 completions, along with the aforementioned lost fumble. Despite the mostly pleasing stat line, this was yet another game Green Bay should’ve won to prove it truly has moved up a tier, especially within the NFC.
The Packers lost late to the Cleveland Browns 13-10 in Week 3, then made the Cowboys look arguably better than they are, especially with no Lamb available and Parsons on the opposite side. There’s still plenty of football to play, but Love needs to trim the turnovers and the Packers as a team need to assemble more complete games if they are to truly contend in the biggest games.
Here are five things to know about Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.