ARLINGTON, Texas – At no point did Micah Parsons ever view his highly anticipated return to Dallas as revenge, redemption or any classification pundits may want to put on it.
The goal was simply to help his new team, the Green Bay Packers, get a much-needed win against an adversary that just happens to be his former team following a trade between the two teams on Aug. 28.
Falling short of a victory is what hurt most for the All-Pro pass rusher in the aftermath of an offensively charged but relatively inconclusive 40-40 tie in front of more than 93,000 at AT&T Stadium.
The two teams combined for 925 total yards on Sunday evening while notching the second-most points ever scored in a tied game, trailing only a 43-43 tie between the Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots in Week 6, 1964.
"Giving up 40 points, bro, I don't care where we're playing. That's just unacceptable for me and everyone," Parsons said. "I'm not even pointing fingers, just like, we got to find a way to get off the field, and we didn't do a great job at that tonight."
The game could not have started any more promising for Parsons and the Packers, who shot out to an early 13-2 lead while limiting Dallas to just 26 yards in the first quarter.
The Cowboys punted on their first three possessions before getting a jolt from a blocked extra point early in the second quarter that produced their first two points.
Despite playing without top receiver CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott eventually found his rhythm and a connection with receiver George Pickens (eight catches for 134 yards and two TDs) and tight end Jake Ferguson (seven for 40 and a TD).
After consistently applying pressure through the first three games, Green Bay's defensive front struggled to get home against Prescott. The Packers only hit him five times in 70 minutes with one sack, which belonged to Parsons in overtime.
It was a key play, though, as it prevented Prescott from scrambling for a TD from the Green Bay 4-yard line. Dallas instead settled for a 22-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal.
"That was big, man. That's just Micah," receiver Romeo Doubs said. "That's what he does. He's been doing it at a high level for a long time."
Parsons finished with a team-high three quarterback hits among seven pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. His 26 pressures through the first four games leads the league.
That served as little post-game consolation, though, after Green Bay's third-ranked defense conceded points on four straight series in the second half and overtime.
Parsons said he spoke with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for "10-15 minutes" after the game and told his coach he'd like to meet with him one-on-one like he previously did in Dallas with former defensive coordinators Mike Zimmer and Dan Quinn.
"I'll take my personal time out of my way so that we can build that relationship together," Parsons said. "It's something that I do want to hope throughout this bye week, that we come back and we start doing more things together."
Asked if he was relieved to get the game against his former team out of the way, Parsons said: "No, because we got 14 (weeks), and we got to figure out how we cannot put up 40 points again."
With the return to Dallas behind him, Parsons is focused on the defense making the necessary corrections and putting forth a better effort when the Packers return from their Week 5 bye to host Cincinnati on Oct. 12.
"I take ownership, Coach in there took ownership," Parsons said. "Ownership is one thing, but doing something about it is another. We gotta tomorrow, (be) like 'Let's all watch this film as a team. Like, let's break it down. Like, let's talk about it.' You know, I think that's the tough conversations that we need to have all together."
Kicking considerations: Brandon McManus hit not one, but two game-tying field goals as time expired on Sunday night.
The first was a bit more difficult, as McManus drilled a 53-yarder at the end of regulation to tie the game at 37 and force overtime.
The second was a shorter kick from 34 yards that matched Aubrey's 22-yard effort earlier in overtime, sealing the first 40-40 tie in NFL history.
"It's hard to find the word for it. Just a weird game, weird game for sure," McManus said. "It's not a loss. It's not a tick in the loss column. Who knows down the road when we're at the end if it helps us or hurts us?"
Earlier in the contest, the Packers had a kick blocked for the second consecutive week. After getting a 43-yard field goal batted down in the 13-10 loss to Cleveland, Dallas safety Juanyeh Thomas shot through in the second quarter on Sunday to block an extra point.
Markquese Ball picked up the ball and returned it 80 yards to the Packers' end zone for Dallas' first two points of the game.
"My vantage point, I'm looking down at the ball to kick it," McManus said. "Points are at a premium in this league and anytime I go out on the field, I expect to make it. It sucks it happened again."
Injury update: Defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and was quickly ruled out. Cornerback Nate Hobbs also exited to be evaluated for a concussion and didn't return.
Wyatt has six tackles and two sacks through four games.
"Missing D-Wy, like just that depth, that dominant player that he is, his energy is so contagious," Parsons said. "I think he's underlooked in his value on this team. So, he's telling me he gonna go get healthy and hopefully we get him back soon. But you lose a great player like that, it kind of stings."
Parsons briefly exited the game himself to be examined after the NFL felt he hit his head on a play but told reporters afterwards it was actually his back.
