Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has his sights set on the rookie sack record with two games to play.
Parsons sits at 13.0 sacks through 15 games. He’s two sacks shy of breaking the rookie sack record set by former Tennessee Titans edge rusher Jevon Kearse, who netted 14.5 QB takedowns in 1999.
“It is on my mind,” Parsons said this week of the record, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “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 has been a playmaking demon all over the field for Dan Quinn’s defense. The linebacker, who lines up off-the-ball, mugging the A-gap, or on the edge, ranks sixth in the NFL in sacks (13), tied for sixth in pressures (55), tied for third in QB hits (29), and second in the NFL in tackles for loss (18). His 21.4 QB pressure percent ranks first in the NFL (min. 100 pass rushes), per Next Gen Stats.
Parsons is the first rookie with 75-plus tackles and 10 or more sacks in the last 25 seasons.
A shoo-in for Defensive Rookie of The Year, Parsons' dynamic play has surged down the stretch. With 10.5 sacks since Week 9, Parsons joined Dwight Freeney (10) as the only rookies with double-digit sacks in November/December of a single season since 1982.