Dallas Cowboys: 5 Players who need to play well to beat Chargers in Week 2

2. Rookie Micah Parsons can’t leave anything in the tank

Despite what some people on social media might’ve had you believe, Micah Parsons was absolutely impressive in his first NFL start. Sure, he looked like a rookie in some moments — while playing an elite offense, it should be noted — but, overall, he was the athletic freak who can line up all over the field and make a positive impact for the Cowboys defense.

It’s not outlandish to say that Parsons was immediately the best linebacker in Dallas in his first career game. Subsequently, I would expect defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to call on him more and more as the season goes on. Therefore, he’ll be critical in this matchup against the Chargers.

One area Tampa Bay had success was attacking up the seam with Rob Gronkowski. While Parsons isn’t elite in coverage, he has the speed to keep up with a tight end like Jared Cook, who the Chargers looked to often in their own opener. Moreover, the use of Austin Ekeler as a pass-catcher out of the backfield could require Parsons’ sideline-to-sideline speed to prevent big plays on the edges.

Parsons not only needs to see the field more than he did in Week 1 — which is on the coaching staff — but he needs to be running around with a fire lit beneath him. His performance could be the difference in a tight game and the Chargers running away with this one.