Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs know that the Dallas Cowboys won't be competing for the biggest prizes in the NFL this season. With two weeks to go, the team has already been eliminated from playoff contention, no matter what record they end.
They have had different fortunes this season, and perhaps couldn't be 100% when facing the best quarterbacks in the league. But they can still recognize greatness: speaking on The Edge, Micah's podcast, they discussed who the best passer in the league is. And the answer might be a bit surprising:
Parsons: This version of Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in the NFL. When I played Joe Burrow this last time, this was a whole different Joe Burrow. This healthy Joe Burrow, the anticipation, his IQ, pre-snap awareness, scrambling... I get it. Patrick Mahomes, oh no. Josh Allen, Lamar is 10-5. I get it. Better records, whatever. If you talk about who's playing the best quarterback football right now? Joe Shiesty.
Diggs: He's amazing, bro. 100%. I agree. Just me experiencing it, like, I've played him since college. I've seen the growth right now, he's at his best, and he looks sharp. He's sharp. He looks amazing.
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Burrow is having one of the best seasons of his career, with 39 passing touchdowns, eight interceptions and 68.9% of completed passes. However, with one of the worst defenses in the league, the Cincinnati Bengals have a 7-8 record and, barring an unlikely combination of results, they'll be out of the playoff picture.
Cowboys defense affected by injuries to Parsons, Diggs and more
One of the reasons the Dallas Cowboys struggled so much in 2024 was due to injuries. On the offense, quarterback Dak Prescott was lost midway through the season with a hamstring problem, with just eight games to his belt.
But things were even worse on defense. The Cowboys had Parsons, Diggs, superstar cornerback Daron Bland and other stars out for a number of weeks, with Parsons and Diggs playing just 11 out of 15 possible games. It's nearly impossible to be competitive when so many good players are not available to play.
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