Just over one year ago, the Packers visited the Cowboys in one of the most anticipated early-season games in recent memory: Micah Parsons' return to Dallas a month after one of the most stunning trades in NFL history. Jordan Love and Dak Prescott combined for 656 passing yards and seven total touchdowns, Parsons had a crucial sack, and the game ended in a 40-40 tie. Parsons, still recovering from tearing his ACL late last season, won't be available to welcome his former team to Lambeau Field this week.
It's a crucial contest for both teams, with Dallas at 2-3 coming off an embarrassing home loss to the previously winless Buccaneers and Green Bay 3-2 after a big win over the Bears. So now, 13 and a half months after an all-time blockbuster move, we revisit how both teams fared. The lead-up to the trade was nearly as dramatic as the trade itself.
Months of back-and-forth between Parsons and Jerry Jones. Quips from CeeDee Lamb, Prescott and Stephen Jones (Jerry's son). Jerry Jones saying he hadn't talked to Parsons' agent.
A war of words between the owner and said agent. And finally, on Aug. 28, the trade. Parsons' injury complicates things, but early on, it was a win for the Packers.
Entering a Week 15 matchup with the Broncos last year, Green Bay was 9-3-1 and looked very much like a Super Bowl contender on both sides of the ball. Parsons had 12.5 sacks in just 14 games, despite a slow ramp-up period to start the season. Parsons was so good, in fact, that he finished as a first-team All-Pro despite missing the final three games of the season.
But that one fateful misstep while trying to sack Bo Nix ... The Packers crumbled, not just on that day, but during the rest of the season. The loss to Denver was the first of five straight (including a playoff collapse against the Bears) to finish the year.
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