Dallas Cowboys studs and duds: Micah Parsons shines in Week 14 win

Dallas Cowboys stud: Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons is an elite player. No longer should we be talking about him as a Defensive Rookie of the Year (because he has that in the bag), but instead we need to ask about his standings in the race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

After 13 games, he already has 12 sacks including two this weekend. The first of those two led to a fumble by Taylor Heinicke and Dorance Armstrong scooped it up and scored a touchdown.

This defense has been much better in 2021 than expected and the dominance of Parsons is a huge reason for that.

Dallas Cowboys dud: Kellen Moore

At one point this season, Kellen Moore looked to be one of the best play-callers in the NFL. His innovative thinking had his name being mentioned as a potential head coach candidate as early as next offseason.

While he’s still one of the brightest minds in the game, he has been struggling in certain areas. Take this past game for instance. Not only did Dallas struggle on third downs (seven-of-18) but they also had to settle for short field goals four times.

The longest kick on the day for Greg Zuerlein was 38-yards, meaning they got close but couldn’t close the deal. It will be up to Moore to make sure that doesn’t become a trend.