The Cowboys offense fell flat in Kansas City on Sunday, but their defense kept them within striking distance all afternoon.
Rookie Micah Parsons was a big reason for that. Parsons sacked Patrick Mahomes twice and forced a fumble to continue an outstanding rookie season and earn high praise from the player he spent the day chasing in the backfield.
“He’s a special player,” Mahomes said, via the Cowboys website. “I mean, to be that good of a linebacker and be able to play defensive end, there’s not a lot of guys like that in this league. He has a high motor. He chased me down on that sack, the strip sack, and the whole game he was in there the whole time battling and battling.”
Parsons is now tied with DeMarcus Ware for the most sacks by a Cowboys rookie and, per ESPN Stats & Info, he’s the first player since Terrell Suggs in 2013 with 60 tackles and eight sacks in the first 10 games of a season. He’s also the first player since 2000 to reach those marks in the first 10 games of his career and that production makes Parsons the favorite for defensive rookie of the year at this point in the season.