"How could I have played this better?" - Cowboys' Micah Parsons left flummoxed by penalty call against Raiders
Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Las Vegas Raiders at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving courtesy of an overtime field goal. The game was a high scoring affair that finished 36-33, but it was the officiating that got everyone talking.
The Cowboys and the Raiders combined for 28 penalties, resulting in 276 yards with the dagger being called on Cowboys corner Anthony Brown in overtime. The Raiders were facing a third-and-18 when Brown was called for defensive pass interference that set up the game-winning field goal for the Raiders.
Cowboys rookie sensation Micah Parsons took to his Twitter account to express his frustration over a flag that was called on him during the game. A dubious roughing the passer call resulted in a 15-yard penalty for the Raiders.
In the vision, it was seen that Parsons barely made contact with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. In fact, it looked as if Carr had made contact with Parsons, and not the other way around. Watch below and judge for yourself:
Lol this was roughing the passer! Never been a dirty guy! But can someone teach me how I could have played this better?! twitter.com/parisamichelleβ¦
Jim Nantz, who was calling the game with former Cowboy Tony Romo for CBS, could be heard saying about the incident that it was Carr who made contact with Parsons' knee.
The rule was brought in for the safety of quarterbacks. However, in this instance the referees might have gone a little too far.
Parsons, on Twitter, stated that he is not a dirty guy and that someone needs to teach him better. Overall, the Cowboys committed 166 yards of penalties on the day, which put them in harm's way, and the Raiders took advantage.
For the rookie linebacker, his first season in Dallas has been incredible. Already, the 12th overall pick from last year's draft has nine sacks in 11 games which broke the Cowboys' rookie record previously held by future Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware.
Big time. @MicahhParsons11 sets the @DallasCowboys rookie sack record!
πΊ: #LVvsDAL on CBS
π±: NFL app https://t.co/2nuc6yuDt2
Along with his sack, Parsons had himself a day, adding five tackles, five quarterback hits, four hurries and seven total pressures as he was once again one of the best players on the field.
Parsons and the Cowboys dropped to 7-4 on the year with a tough away trip to New Orleans up next. It does not get any easier for a team that has lost three out of its last four games. But Dallas could be re-energized by the return of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for the clash.