Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons logged one sack in his team’s Week 18 win over the Washington Commanders, giving him 14.5 sacks for the season.
Why is that significant?
Well, that sack pushed Parsons’ career total to 40.5, making him one of just five players in NFL history to amass at least 40 sacks through their first three seasons (h/t Garrett Podell of CBS Sports).
The other four? Hall of Famers Reggie White and Derrick Thomas, plus Dwight Freeney and Aldon Smith.
That’s some pretty fine company.
Parsons added 64 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to go along with his sack total in 2023, earning him his third straight trip to the Pro Bowl.
The 24-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Penn State, was selected by the Cowboys with the 12th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He hit the ground running during his rookie campaign, playing in 16 games and racking up 84 tackles, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles. Then, last year, Parsons appeared in every contest and rattled off 65 tackles, 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a defensive touchdown.
Micah Parsons earned First-Team All-Pro selections in his first two seasons. We will see if he notches that honor yet again this year.
Dallas went 12-5 this season, winning the NFC East division and nailing down the No. 2 overall seed in the conference. It will host the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs this Sunday.
The Cowboys are looking to make a deep playoff run for the first time in nearly three decades. They have not made it past the Divisional Round since the 1995-96 campaign, when they last won the Super Bowl.
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