Thursday Night Football is another divisional matchup in Week 4 with the defending NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys (1-2) heading on the road to play the New York Giants (1-2).
Dallas is fresh off a tough 28-25 loss at home against Baltimore. The Cowboys' defense is struggling in 2024 so far and sits 30th in the NFL in points allowed (29.7). The biggest weakness is in run defense where the Cowboys rank last in the NFL in yards allowed (557), yards per carry (5.4), and touchdowns (eight).
The Cowboys' pass defense is less of a weakness, led by dominant edge rusher Micah Parsons . Last year, Parsons earned second-team All-Pro honors and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He's off to a slow start in 2024 with just one sack in three games but remains one of the more dangerous defense players on the edge.
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Here's how his career's gone so far – and how he compares to iconic New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
Micah Parsons career stats, awards
Parsons has played 53 regular season games in his NFL career ahead of Thursday Night Football this week. In that span, he's tallied 41.5 sacks - tied with Leslie O'Neal, Bruce Smith, and Richard Dent for 11th-most all-time through a player's first 53 games.
He's also tallied seven forced fumbles, four fumbles recovered, and 52 tackles for a loss. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has been either first- or second-team All-Pro in each of his first three NFL seasons.
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Lawrence Taylor career stats, awards
Taylor is one of the greatest players in NFL history. He remains the last defensive player to win NFL MVP honors when he did so in 1986. In a 13-year NFL career, Taylor tallied 142 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, nine interceptions, and two touchdowns.
Taylor was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, first in his rookie season in 1981 and again in 1982 and 1986. He was a first-team All-Pro selection eight times and a second-team All-Pro another two more times.
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Micah Parsons-Lawrence Taylor comparison
Parsons is tied for 11th in sacks through a player's first 53 games. These are the 10 players ahead of him and their sack totals:
- Reggie White: 65
- Derrick Thomas: 49
- Von Miller : 48
- Dwight Freeney: 45
- Aldon Smith: 44
- Myles Garrett : 43.5
- Shawne Merriman: 43.5
- Nick Bosa : 43
- Joey Bosa : 42
- John Abraham: 42
Taylor was tied for 90th with just 27 sacks in his first 53 career games.
Taylor became a top-tier pass rusher later in his career than Parsons has. Through his first three years (including the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season), Taylor had 26 sacks. He had 98 over the following seven seasons, starting in 1984 with his age-25 year – the same age Parsons is this year.
Parsons has statistically been the better pass rusher to start his career. But it was the middle of Taylor's career that made him one of the best defensive players in NFL history. The next few seasons will decide if Parsons can enter the same conversation.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Micah Parsons vs. Lawrence Taylor: How Cowboys edge compares to Giants legend so far
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