The Dallas Cowboys had a number of questionable calls go against them in their loss on Sunday to the Miami Dolphins. And Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons had plenty to say about one in particular after the game that he happened to be on the receiving end of.
Parsons was flagged for roughing the passer on Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, a play that ended up being a pretty big factor in the end result.
Micah Parsons got hit with a roughing the passer penalty after this hit on Tua Tagovailoa.
Good call or bad call? 🤔pic.twitter.com/Dh5MQo0Q7A
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 24, 2023
Just a play later, the Dolphins would score a touchdown on a four-yard passing touchdown from Tagovailoa to star running back Raheem Mostert to take a 13-7 lead into the half.
21st TD of the season for Raheem Mostert!
📺: #DALvsMIA on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/UIg1XAk0MB pic.twitter.com/2mQeJ3RB2g— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2023
Had this call not been made, there is a very real possibility that the Dolphins could have been forced to settle for a field goal on the drive.
This is significant because those four points were the difference between a win and a loss for the Cowboys. Miami was able to win by two points on a game-winning field goal by Jason Sanders as time expired.
The Miami Dolphins are headed to the playoffs! Jason Sanders nails this 29-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Dallas Cowboys and punch their postseason ticket. pic.twitter.com/sXkEoROwrS
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 25, 2023
Parsons was obviously furious about this penalty after the game, voicing his frustrations about the call after the game.
“The ref said my intent was to punish the quarterback,” said Parsons via Cowboys beat writer Jon Machota. “How am I trying to punish him if I’m just trying to sack him? It’s not like it was a late hit. It’s not like I’m leaving my feet. I didn’t lead with my head. I don’t know how you make that call.”
Parsons further added that he believes these types of calls have been a trend in recent games, particularly because of the Cowboys star on their helmet.
“It’s mind-blowing, the things that are getting called, and the positions that we get put in. We just have to learn how to fight the adversity. I know a lot of it is BS, but it’s the world we live in. We’ve got the star on our helmet. … It’s just hard to play defense.”
It is becoming increasingly difficult for defenders all around the league to play defense without receiving penalties with how the current rules are enforced.
For Parsons to say that the refs are actively making calls against the Cowboys because they are the Cowboys seems a bit far-fetched. But regardless, his criticism of the refs is something that many fans of the NFL also share with him.
