Parsons says sacking Dak Prescott would be 'painful' in first Cowboys reunion

Micah Parsons said it would be painful to sack Dak Prescott in Sunday’s game in Dallas, the first time he’ll face his former Cowboys team since the trade that ended his four-year stay. In a conversation with the Associated Press on Tuesday, the Packers edge rusher said the matchup would be emotionally charged but he would approach it as any other game. "It’s going to be painful," Parsons told the AP. "That’s my guy. He was always like a good mentor for me. But you know how it is. He always told me if I ever faced him that it’ll be a great matchup, so I’m excited to see what Sunday brings itself."

The Week 4 game has become a must-see event after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pulled off the blockbuster trade that sent Parsons to Green Bay, ending a four-year run in Dallas. Parsons has quickly become a key piece of the Packers’ defense, logging 1.5 sacks and five tackles in his first three games, a sample that has not yet translated into overall success for Green Bay’s offense. But he said he’s focusing on his own play rather than the storyline.

Parsons said he has accepted the trade and will treat Sunday as just another game. "I accepted my fate weeks ago when the trade happened," he said. "So, for me, it's just all about playing another game and just doing what I do best, and that's just be a disruptive football player. I think the media and the fans are trying to blow it up to be such a big thing. But I just look at it as just another game at AT&T Stadium."

Green Bay enters Week 4 at 2-1 after an upset loss to the Browns last weekend, a result that underscored how much time Packers coach Matt LaFleur has spent balancing rookies and veterans amid a midseason adjustment. The Packers defense has shown flashes, but the offense has also faced growing pains as it adjusts to a reshaped receiving corps and a more progressive run-pass balance.

Dallas, at 1-2, has struggled on defense since Parsons’ departure. The Cowboys have yielded 397.7 yards per game, the third-most in the NFL, and 288 passing yards per contest, the most in the league. Those numbers have added pressure on a unit that entered the year with expectations of a top-tier performance from a defense that included Parsons during his tenure in Dallas.

Parsons has continued to be a disruptive presence for Green Bay, with 1.5 sacks and five tackles in three games, a pace that has drawn attention given the matchup against Prescott and a high-profile Dallas offense that entered the week seeking better balance. The two teams had divergent starts to the season, and Sunday night’s game is shaping up as a pivotal point in both clubs’ early trajectories.

Dallas has emphasized that the game is about its own performance more than the personal storyline of facing a former star. Coach Mike McCarthy has cautioned against treating the reunion as a referendum on either franchise’s direction, and Parsons himself has tried to keep the focus squarely on execution and disruption rather than emotion.

Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, where Cowboys fans will get their first extended look at the Packers’ defense against Prescott and a Dallas offense that is eager to rebound from a rocky start. The game will test whether Green Bay’s adjustments can keep a dangerous Dallas unit in check and whether Parsons’ emotional homecoming translates into a meaningful impact on the field.