49ers vs. Cowboys: 5 Dallas players who are biggest threats to Niners

No. 1: Cowboys LB Micah Parsons is going to impact the game one way or another

Take an overhead view of Dallas’ defense, then draw a big circle between the numbers from the line of scrimmage back to the free safety spot, and that’s precisely where rookie linebacker Micah Parsons plays.

In short, nearly everywhere.

The Cowboys use Parsons in so many different ways, it’s truly remarkable. As a pass-rusher, Parsons has emerged as Dallas’ leading sack specialist, recording a whopping 13 during the regular season. He’s also a run-stopping tackling machine, too, second on the Cowboys defense with 84 tackles, 20 of them coming for a loss.

And it’s generally not wise to target Parsons in coverage either, as he’s limiting opposing quarterbacks to just a 71.5 passer rating when targeting him.

All of these attributes and more have resulted in him being the clear-cut front-runner for the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his overall game impact is even more crucial for Dallas’ defensive turnaround than Trevon Diggs.

However things pan out when the Cowboys host the 49ers, don’t be shocked if Parsons makes a number of exceptional plays that could potentially impact the game’s outcome.