Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence both miss time after suffering injuries against Giants: source

By: Caelan Clinton, Jeff Howe and Saad Yousuf

The Dallas Cowboys are now without both of their top edge rushing talents after defeating the New York Giants on Thursday night, a league source said Friday.

Edge rusher Micah Parsons was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain after Thursday night’s game against the New York Giants, and while his schedule is still uncertain, he is expected to miss playing time due to the injury, according to the league source.

Meanwhile, DeMarcus Lawrence is also reportedly expected to return to action after suffering a foot injury against the Giants.

Parsons was carted off the field with 3:30 minutes to play in the 20-15 victory after being curled up under a Giants player. He was seen hobbling between the training room and the locker room after the game and underwent an X-ray and an MRI scan. Parsons finished the game with two solo tackles and a tackle for loss.

The 25-year-old All-Pro edge rusher is in the midst of a pivotal season in Dallas, staving off extension talks early this offseason while teammates Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb negotiated their respective contracts. This season, Parsons has four combined tackles and one sack in his first four games. His three-game active streak without a sack is only the second time in his career that he has gone that long without a sack, according to Stathead.

Lawrence is dealing with a foot injury unrelated to the broken foot he suffered in 2021. Lawrence underwent surgery in September 2021 and was placed on the injured list after breaking his foot, but returned to play later in the season. He continued to appear on Dallas’ injury report with foot injuries during the 2022 season.

Lawrence’s three sacks and four tackles for loss both lead the Cowboys’ defense through four games, while his five quarterback hits rank second behind Parsons’ six.

The NFL Network first reported both injuries.

How losing edge rushers affects the Cowboys

The Cowboys are fortunate that they didn’t lose Lawrence or Parsons long-term, but at the same time being without both will create major challenges in the coming weeks.

Lawrence is the Cowboys’ best run-stopping defensive lineman, and the Cowboys have been terrible against the run this season even with Lawrence. Without him, things could get worse.

The upcoming schedule doesn’t do the Cowboys any favors either. They travel to Pittsburgh next week and face the Detroit Lions the following week before taking a breather with their bye week. Without Parsons and Lawrence, the Cowboys are without their top three defensive linemen as they lost Sam Williams for the season in training camp. A fighting unit is even more vulnerable in the next few weeks. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer

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(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)