Letting Micah Parsons run free typically doesn't end well for any team defending him. The Seattle Seahawks tried this strategy -- and failed miserably.
On fourth-and-2 from midfield in a 41-35 game with 1:11 to play, the Seahawks dropped back to pass and decided to let Parsons run free off the edge. The result was an incomplete pass as Parson was on top of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith instantly, and the Dallas Cowboys would go on to claim victory. It would be Seattle's final offensive play of the game.
Leaving Parsons unblocked was the plan, even if it wasn't the smartest move based on how the play was executed.
"It's the design," Geno Smith after the game, per a team transcript. "He had to squeeze, the right tackle had to squeeze right there versus zero (zero blitz), so he did the right thing.
"Micah came free. We knew that would possibly happen. Tried to get the ball around him and just wasn't able to."
MICAH ENDS IT 😤 pic.twitter.com/FuMgBN4tsB
— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023
Smith had to get rid of the ball quickly and the play was broken up. This was part of a Dallas defensive effort that allowed 35 points, yet no points in Seattle's final three possessions -- all turnovers on downs.
Parsons was asked about the play afterward.
"Yeah for sure," the Cowboys star said when asked if he was left unblocked. "I feel like I was getting there pretty fast all game. Geno was doing a great job. He was getting the ball out fast. That's not something he had on film, where he was just quick game all game. When they did throw it deep, it was max protection and things like that. It was definitely some unchartered looks that I hadn't seen on film. It's definitely something to look at again. I think they left the [running] back on me [at the end]. I mean that's not a good strategy either. That's cool though."
If Seahawks running back DeeJay Dallas had gotten through the seam, a big gain could have potentially have been reached. Dallas read what Seattle was doing, thanks to Parsons disrupting the play as quickly as he did.
"We thought DeeJay could slip through there, and we could get him the ball in the flat," Smith said. "Wasn't able to get through there. Kind of got held up, and that's kind of how the play went."