There are some heavyweight matchups on the schedule for Week Six, including the Sunday night game that will see the 4-1 Cowboys paying a visit to the 5-0 Eagles.
One of the key matchups in that game will be Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons against anyone and everyone that the Eagles try to throw his way as a blocker. Parsons has a league-high six sacks and the ability to wreck offensive game plans, so it was no surprise to hear Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni talk about how much attention his team will pay Parsons this week.
Sirianni recounted how he and other coaches used to think about facing Von Miller and Khalil Mack when he was on the Chargers staff. He said that he’d be asked if they’re thinking about those players and would reply that no one ever thought more about them than he did. That’s the same approach Sirianni is taking with Parsons this week.
“Whatever you do, again, you’re trying to put your players in the best position to succeed, and while you’re doing that, you’re trying not to allow their best players to wreck the game,” Sirianni said in his Monday press conference. “So, he’ll be accounted for every single play. That’s doesn’t mean he’s not going to make some plays here and there. He’s a really outstanding, outstanding player. I think we all know that. The league knows that. He’s proved it for the last year and a half. So, we need to do our jobs as coaches and put the guys in positions to not only be at their best, but also to defeat their best, right, and contain their best. He’ll be thought about.”
The Eagles lost twice to the Cowboys last season and handling Parsons will be key to Sirianni avoiding an 0-3 start against one of the team’s major rivals.