Micah Parsons has sad admission about his injury

Nov 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on prior to the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons is likely to miss only the second game of his NFL career in Week 5, and it is certainly weighing on him.

Even going all the way back to Pop Warner level, Parsons has never missed a game due to a physical injury. He missed one game in Week 18 of the 2021 season after landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but has otherwise been an ever-present figure on the field. He admitted Monday that the thought of missing even one game is enough for him to feel like he is letting people down.

“It’s just frustrating for real,” Parsons said, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. “I put a lot of effort and energy into being ready for the team, so it hurts me. I feel like I’m letting people down. I kind of [thought] of myself as [being] invincible for a while. It’s humbling. It’s humbling. … It’s part of that test. Faith, keeping that faith alive. Come back strong.

“It probably makes sense to some, but when you’re a real competitor, like I said, you only get 17 chances at this and missing one of these opportunities to perform at the highest level, bothers me. I feel like I wanna play on Sunday. I want to play. If I can play, I will play. … As long as I can run and move, how I move, I want to play.”

Parsons suffered a high ankle sprain last Thursday in the Cowboys’ 20-15 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. He is viewed as highly unlikely to play in Week 5, and there has even been some talk that the team might be cautious and sit him out for two weeks until their bye.

By his own lofty standards, Parsons is off to a slow start to 2024, with just one sack in four games. He had 14 of them last year and entered the season with 40.5 sacks in 50 career games.