Sunday night ended in unsatisfying fashion with the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers combining for a 40-40 tie, the highest-scoring tie since the 43-43 pre-merger AFL bout between the Raiders and Patriots in 1964.
The tie was doubly annoying for Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons, who returned to Dallas for the first time since a late-August trade shook the NFL.
"Giving up 40 points, bro, I don't care where we're playing. That's just unacceptable for me and everyone," Parsons said, via the team’s official website. "I'm not even pointing fingers, just like, we got to find a way to get off the field, and we didn't do a great job at that tonight."
Dak Prescott picked apart Green Bay's secondary, and the Cowboys unfurled an assortment of misdirection plays to puncture a previously stingy Packers defense. Despite Dallas dealing with offensive line injuries, Prescott was pressured on just nine of 40 pass attempts, per Next Gen Stats. Even when they got close to the QB, he still seemed to make a play every time -- 7 of 9 for 94 yards and a touchdown for a 147.2 passer rating under pressure.
"You look at how precise No. 4 looked tonight, just getting through his throws, getting to his receivers, the timing," Parsons said about Prescott, via ESPN. "I think he played a better game than we played defense. So, you know, shoutout to Dak, and I told him, I said, 'You go watch that film. You lucky if you wasn't on your s---, it would've been a long day, it would've been a real long day for you,' but he played a hell of a game, and I give him kudos for that."
Parsons led the Packers with seven quarterback pressures and earned the only Green Bay sack. For much of the game, the edge rusher was quiet. Six of his seven pressures came in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Sunday marked the first time all season that Green Bay allowed more than 18 points in a game and the first time they'd given up 250-plus yards.
"I'm not even going to lie, I'm pissed off," Parsons said. "I'm very disappointed, just overall how we performed."
The Packers jumped out to a 13-0 lead before the Cowboys returned a blocked extra point for a 2-point score that gave the home team some life. A late-half Jordan Love fumble allowed the Cowboys to take a 16-13 halftime lead.
Defense felt optional from that point on. In the second half, Green Bay did little to slow Dallas, allowing three touchdowns and an overtime field goal. The Packers matched that with three TDs and two field goals in the second half and overtime.
The last punt came on the opening possession of the third quarter, when Dallas booted it away with 12:43 in the frame.
Parsons credited the offense with at least avoiding a loss.
"I even told Jordan to the side, you know, 'Thank you for having our back today,' " Parsons said. "You know, that's why it's so pivotal to, you know, you play complementary football. Because today, Jordan played like the player he was, and we let him down. We didn't live up to the level of expectation on defense."
Parsons and the Packers have the bye week to ruminate over the tie before hosting Jake Browning and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6.
