Micah Parsons records just one sack in return to Dallas — but that doesn’t tell the story

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• Parsons was relentless in his return: He was responsible for 10 of the Packers’ 15 total pressures on the night, racking up a sack, two hits and seven hurries on just 30 pass-rush snaps. That’s a pressure rate of 33.3%.
   
• Still one of the league’s best: Since entering the league in 2021, Parsons ranks second among 241 edge rushers (min. 100 pass-rush snaps) in PFF pass-rush grade at 94.8, trailing only Myles Garrett (96.1).
• Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.

The highly anticipated “Micah Parsons revenge game” in Dallas didn’t end in the emphatic Packers win that fans may have hoped for. Instead, it ended in a 24–24 tie — better than a loss, but far from a statement victory.

Those who only caught the box score Monday morning might assume Parsons had a quiet night. He recorded “just” one sack in his return to AT&T Stadium, and even that sack came under somewhat contentious circumstances.

Late in overtime, with Dak Prescott scrambling inside the red zone, Parsons chased him down from behind and tripped him up. The play helped prevent a game-winning touchdown and allowed the Packers to drive for a field goal to force the tie. But it wasn’t your typical highlight-reel sack off the edge — and even Prescott himself was caught off guard.

Micah Parsons might have saved a TD on this play 😤 pic.twitter.com/WGGFdSTOFo

— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2025

“It was fun. As I told y’all, it’s a great competition, friendly competition,” Prescott said after the game. “No words were even spoken. I don’t think he got me. I don’t think he sacked me. Got me one from behind right there in overtime, but I got past the line [of scrimmage].”

At that point, NBC’s Melissa Stark jumped in to let him know the play had officially been ruled a sack for Parsons.

“No way,” Prescott responded, laughing. “That’s alright. That’s alright… He can have it.”

Highest-graded edge defenders since 2021 (postseason included)

Only one sack — but constant disruption

So, only one sack, and a technical one at that. That must mean the Cowboys did a terrific job neutralizing one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive players, right?

Wrong.

Parsons was relentless. He was responsible for 10 of the Packers’ 15 total pressures on the night, racking up a sack, two hits and seven hurries on just 30 pass-rush snaps. That’s a pressure rate of 33.3%.

He averaged just 2.39 seconds to pressure, quicker than the Week 4 NFL average of 2.52. He won in under 2.5 seconds on seven of his 10 pressures, showing the kind of immediate explosiveness that only a handful of pass rushers in the league can replicate.

Even on reps that didn’t show up in the stat sheet, Parsons was winning. He had four additional wins where he beat his block cleanly, only for the ball to be gone before he could affect the play.

The fifth-year pass rusher ended the game with a 94.3 PFF pass-rush grade, the second-best single-game grade of his career (though his highest came in his rookie year when he lined up as an off-ball linebacker. The performance marked his third consecutive single-game pass-rush grade above 90.0 and the 22nd 90.0-plus pass-rush grade of his career.

Highest single-game pass-rush grades of Micah Parsons’ career

Matchups and mismatches

Parsons faced former teammate Tyler Guyton on 12 pass-rush reps, recording a hit, two hurries and a 25% win rate. He also beat Terence Steele (29% win rate), Jake Ferguson (20%, with a sack) and Tyler Smith (33% win rate on three reps). No matter who lined up across from him, Parsons found success.

And this performance wasn’t an anomaly.

Since entering the league in 2021, Parsons ranks second among 241 edge rushers (min. 100 pass-rush snaps) in PFF pass-rush grade at 94.8, trailing only Myles Garrett (96.1).

Over that same period, he ranks eighth in sacks (48), sixth in quarterback hits (54), fifth in hurries (205), and fifth in total pressures (307). His 21.8% pass-rush win rate is second only to Garrett, while his 19.7% pressure rate leads all edge rushers.

Sunday marked his seventh career game with 10 or more quarterback pressures, the most in the NFL since 2021 (postseason included). It was also his 16th game with eight or more pressures, tying Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby for the league lead.

And he does it more often than anyone else. Parsons has produced eight or more pressures in 31.4% of his games — well ahead of Crosby’s 25.4%. He’s reached 10-plus pressures in 13.7% of his outings, besting the second-place Crosby’s 9.5%.

Edge defenders with 10 or more pressures in a game (since 2021, postseason included)

*Parsons started his career as an off-ball linebacker

Prescott’s Answer

The only thing that blunted Parsons’ impact? Dak Prescott’s remarkable play under pressure.

Prescott completed 12 of 14 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown when pressured — good for 11.6 yards per attempt, a 138.7 passer rating and an 88.6 PFF grade. He was under duress on 16 of his dropbacks and produced one big-time throw with zero turnover-worthy plays.

In the end, the sack column may show just one — and even that came with a debate. But the tape, the pressure chart and the impact plays all tell a different story.

The game may not have ended in a win for the Packers or the Cowboys. But it was another reminder that Micah Parsons remains one of the most disruptive forces in football, capable of single-handedly carrying a team’s pass rush.

This news was originally published on this post .

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