Everyone has December 24th circled on their calendars for an obvious reason: Christmas Eve. But many Dallas Cowboys fans will be prioritizing the rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles over the holiday.
Earlier this week, Micah Parsons added fuel to the fire by questioning how good Jalen Hurts really is. Parsons appeared on a recent episode of The Voncast, a podcast hosted by Von Miller, and the two discussed potential MVP candidates.
When Miller brought up Hurts, Parsons questioned how deserving the QB is of the award. Here’s the transcript of the conversation:
Micah Parsons: Is it Hurts or the team?
Von Miller: I think it’s a little bit of both.
MP: It’s system and team.
VM: They’ve got a great offensive line, which helps Hurts. Hurts has A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. They got a good running game.
MP: Miles Sanders, o-line.
VM: It’s Eagles-Cowboys coming up, ain’t it?
MP: Yeah, it’s coming up. I’m not trying to make no enemies. I just love the game so much and I understand it so much that, when things are off I can’t hold it in. I almost gotta say something.
VM: They’ve got a great team, great defense.
MP: But everyone has their own opinions.
VM: So Jalen Hurts….
MP: He’s good. He’s good.
VM: They got him for the MVP race with Patrick Mahomes. (Hurts’) stats and what he’s been doing with the numbers he’s been putting up is MVP worthy. Just like what Patrick Mahomes is doing.
Eagles fans took exception
The Philadelphia faithful took to Twitter to bash Parsons for his comments about their QB. But who can blame them? That’s what makes Eagles fans great. Just like Cowboys fans, they’re passionate and defensive when critics talk down on their players.
The media asked Hurts about Parsons’ comments, but he didn’t give much of a reaction. Hurts simply said he’s worried about the Eagles Week 15 opponent, the Chicago Bears.
Eagles LT Jordan Mailata was also asked about Parsons’ thoughts on the MVP race, and echoed a similar sentiment to Hurts. But Mailata got a bit fiery and criticized Parsons, saying he should just worry about the Cowboys next matchup instead of Hurts:
Parsons was taken a bit out of context
The video of Parsons and Miller that went viral on Twitter was one minute long, and only featured the discussion about Hurts’ MVP odds. But if you watch the full eight minute clip on YouTube, you’ll see the discussion actually started with the two talking about QBs always getting the MVP award.
The last time a non-QB won MVP was in 2012, and the last time a defensive player won MVP was 1986. Parsons, being a defensive player, argued that it’s not right for QBs to consistently win the trophy.
He also pointed out the QBs in the MVP race have talented players around them, which was clear from our transcription of the conversation. But ultimately, the pair were impressed with Mahomes’ performance this season because the only star pass catcher on the Kansas City Chiefs is Travis Kelce.
So the conversation started with criticism for the MVP voters for favoring QBs, but naturally focused on Hurts considering how well the Cowboys and Eagles are playing, and how historic the rivalry is between the teams.
Parsons didn’t get it wrong
While Eagles fans and players aren’t wrong for backing their QB, Micah was spot on. The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, plus Brown and Sanders are both top five in yardage at their positions.
You could even argue Philadelphia’s defense is better than its offense. The Eagles are only allowing 19 points per game, the seventh-best mark in the NFL.
Parsons was simply pointing out how well-balanced the team was, and how both units playing so well is the reason for Philadelphia’s success.
Where Parsons screwed up was making these comments publicly. Now, the Eagles will come to Dallas in a few weeks with extra motivation to get a win.
