December was very kind to the Dallas Cowboys. They won all four games and they were fueled by their defense which forced 14 turnovers and only allowed 14.25 points per game.
The spearhead of this defensive effort, much like it's been the entire 2021 season, was rookie Linebacker, Micah Parsons. With 12 tackles (three tackles for loss), four sacks, six quarterback hits, and a forced fumble, Parsons was named the Defensive Rookie of the Month for December, his second consecutive month winning the award.
Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Month! (December)@amonra_stbrown | @MicahhParsons11 pic.twitter.com/86qKDMCXFn
— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2021
Parsons has been playing in another orbit since the beginning of November having logged 34 tackles (11 tackles for loss), 18 quarterback hits, and three forced fumbles. With two games left, Parsons 13 sacks put him just one-and-a-half sacks away from tying the rookie record of 14.5 set by Jevon Kearse in 1999, and the young lion as he's referred to is hungry to put his name in the history books.
“It is on my mind,” Parsons said. “Obviously, that would be an extraordinary thing to do for a guy that's an off-ball linebacker. It would really mean a lot to me. I know I can do it.”
Parsons logged a three-tackle performance against the Washington Football Team in Week16, and he became the first player in nine seasons to record 13 sacks and 79 tackles in the same year.
The Cowboys' defense was the worst in team history in 2020. This season, they lead the NFL in turnovers, and a big reason for that is Parsons and his loaded tool bag of skills which allows Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn to have the freedom to do a plethora of different things with the Cowboys' defensive talent.
