Boza and Parsons caught the attention of the 49ers-Cowboys with a pass rush

FRISCO, TX (AP) — Dallas star Micah Parsons sees himself and his All-Pro colleague Nick Boza of San Francisco as artists in the playoffs of his division.

In Parsons’ opinion, it’s more of a side show compared to the big plot of who moves on to the NFC championship game.

“We’re going to be the best players we can be and dominate that way,” Parsons said. “He will do his thing, I will do my thing, and what he does has nothing to do with what I do. My goal is the Super Bowl, bro.”

Same with NFL sacking leader Boza and the 49ers (14-4), who beat Parsons and company in the wild-card round last season and lost the NFC title game to the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

The Cowboys (13-5) are trying to get this far for the first time since winning the last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles 27 years ago.

“If you get three sacks and lose, and he can have one sack but he wins, what difference does it make what my three sacks do?” Parsons asked. “I go home and he lives the dream, you know what I mean? What he does is not motivating. It’s a ‘we’ game, so my team has to beat him.”

While they won’t be on the field together, Sunday’s clash will feature two of the best young pass rushers in the league.

Parsons was with Boza on the NFL Defensive Player of the Year shortlist before Boza became the overwhelming favorite, finishing with five sacks more than Parsons with an 18 1/2 record.

“It’s crazy what level he’s playing at,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. “Knowing that he is on the field and has the opportunity to return home, you become more sticky in the coverage and can sit on the routes. He just played out of his mind.”

Each of them was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year as a first-round draft pick, starting with Bosa two years before Parsons in 2019. Boza was selected at number 2 and Parsons finished 12th in 2021.

Both players move around a lot, the difference being that the larger Boza (6’4″, 266 pounds) mostly switches sides while staying on the defensive line.

The 6-3, 245-pound Parsons was drafted as a linebacker and is still playing at the second level, but is lining up more and more as a pass rusher as his quarterback skills become more apparent.

“Different players, but both players are incredibly valuable to their team,” said Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. “Both of them you’d like to have and walk away because they both can really bring it.”

A year ago, Boza had half a sack before suffering a concussion late in the first half when the 49ers lost five times to Dak Prescott in a 23-17 win.

The 25-year-old has little memory of last season’s game due to a concussion, but Prescott’s four-touchdown no-interception record in a 31-14 win against Tampa Bay – with a rushing touchdown to boot – is fresh in his memory.

“He kind of does it anywhere,” Bosa said of Prescott’s pocket presence. “After that, he became a big creator, so this week will be given a lot of attention.”

Parsons will pursue Brock Purdy in his seventh rookie start, including a 41-23 win over Seattle last weekend.

After injuries to season starter Trey Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy has quietly maintained a winning streak in San Francisco, which is now 11. It helped to have versatile playmakers like running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

“I’m a Purdy fan,” Parsons said. “I think he came in and did everything right. He prepared like he was going to be a starter and when his time came he showed a great light.”

“He may have surprised some people early on by saying, ‘No newcomer is going to come and beat us,’ and he got them that far. Very happy to go against him to see what he has.”

Boza was out of the bag for the first time in a playoff game against the Seahawks after scoring eight points in his first six postseason games. First in the playoffs, Parsons came out against Tom Brady.

They can’t line up against each other, but Bosa and Parsons can compare themselves to each other. Dallas owner and CEO Jerry Jones thinks so.

“Although they are not going to directly compete with each other, they are set against each other mentally,” Jones said on his radio show. “I think that’s what happens when you have such a big game.”

As he got closer to the NFL’s sacking lead during the season, Parsons questioned why quarterbacks were dominating MVP talk.

Now that Parsons will have to settle for Bose’s likely win of the Defensive Player of the Year, Jones sees the playoff game as a testing ground for Dallas’ star guard.

“When I look at the player combination, I think Micah has no problem setting himself up for rage,” Jones said. “He lives like that and plays those games – not games, but mental stimuli.”

Maybe it’s all part of the show.