Parsons, Cowboys defense keeping Dallas in it against Brady, Bucs at half, 12-3

The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year had two sacks in the first half.

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys offense looks to be a shell of its 2021 self, through one half of the 2022 season. But at least you’ve got Micah Parsons, Cowboys fans.

The NFL’s defensive rookie of the year from 2021 opened his second professional season with two sacks in the first half alone, ending a pair of Bucs drives, to hold them to field goal attempts, and keep the Cowboys in the football game.

Dallas trails 12-3 at halftime, after the Cowboys defense held Tom Brady’s offense to five field goal attempts over the opening 30 minutes. But the Dallas offense could hardly muster a response.

The Cowboys opened their 2022 season with a 14-play field goal drive. Brett Maher hit a 51-yard field goal to cap the drive, after the Cowboys executed a balanced drive to move 54 yards in 5:58. Prescott went 4-7 for 43 yards on the opening series, connecting with four different receivers. A 16-yard hookup with CeeDee Lamb was the biggest play of the possession. Elliott carried four times for 20 yards on the possession as well, as the Cowboys took a 3-0 lead.

The Bucs responded in kind, driving 49 yards in seven plays, to set up a Ryan Succop 44-yard field goal to tie the game. Tom Brady completed both his passes on the drive, for 44 yards. But the Cowboys defense was up to the task against the Bucs run game, stuffing Leonard Fournette for a combined 10 yards on four carries on the drive, including a 3rd & short stop by Demarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander Esch, to lead to the field goal attempt.

The Cowboys answered that with the first three and out of the game. A seven-yard run by Elliott on the first play of the possession was largely undone by a false start moments later. Two incompletions and a near interception of Dak Prescott later, the Cowboys punted.

In a statistical oddity, the Bucs followed that with yet another seven-play, 49-yard field goal drive. This time, Succop sent a 38-yard field goal through the uprights, for a 6-3 Bucs lead. Brady hit Mike Evans and Julio Jones for chunk plays, and Fournette had a pair of nice runs to pace the Bucs second drive of the day.

The Cowboys offense again faltered in a three and out on the next series. On third down, Prescott was indecisive and delivered late and high to Lamb. It would have been a difficult catch. It also is a catch that Lamb needs to make, if he wants to be recognized among the great receivers in the game. He did not. The Cowboys punted.

Tampa drove the length of the field on their next possession, getting down inside the Cowboys red zone on the strength of Fournette and Julio Jones. But then Parsons went to work. He sacked Brady on a 3rd & 5, dropping the Bucs out of any reasonable range to go for it on 4th down, and forcing a field goal attempt that Succop would miss wide left.

The Cowboys offense wouldn’t do Parsons and the defense any favors though, giving the ball right back to the Bucs, as Prescott was intercepted on the next series. A bad decision to throw late, followed by a poor throw, handed Antoine Winfield an easy interception.

But four plays later, there was Parsons again, screaming off the edge to sack Brady for a second time on the night, and forcing another field goal. This time Succop hit the 29-yarder, to give Tampa a 9-3 edge.

The Bucs ended the half by driving 61 yards in eight plays, to set up one more Succop field goal from 47 yards away. A rainbow from Brady to Jones covering 48 yards up the right sideline against Anthony Brown was the big blow on the drive, before the Cowboys defense came up with another key third down stop, to force a fifth field goal attempt of the half.