Dallas played late into the night against Pittsburgh but the effort turned out to be worth it. Dak Prescott fired a game-winning touchdown to Jalen Tolbert in the final minute, giving Mike McCarthy a hometown victory against the Steelers. All without star defensive player Micah Parsons, who missed the game due to injury.

Attention for the Cowboys has quickly flipped to the Detroit Lions and whether or not Parsons will be available is still in question. McCarthy admitted Parsons still has “work to do” before getting back onto the field. An ankle injury suffered against the New York Giants is what’s keeping him off the field.

“He’s got some work to do,” McCarthy said on Monday via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “We knew this week would be a stretch.”

McCarthy added it’s too early in the week to make a final decision on whether Parsons will play, positive for Dallas or not. Wednesday is likely when more information will be available after the Cowboys get through a few days of practice.

Parsons has been one of the NFL’s best players since being drafted and routinely been available. Sunday was just the second-ever game he has not played in and the first due to injury. Back during his 2021 rookie season, Parsons sat out the Week 17 finale before Dallas entered the playoffs.

Sometimes, availability is the best ability. Unfortunately, Parsons could be in line to miss back-to-back games for the first time in his career due to the ankle injury.

Detroit will likely be thankful if Parsons stays on the sideline after having a big game against them last season. He had six tackles, two TFLs, and two quarterback hits in what turned into an instant classic from AT&T Stadium.

Jared Goff and the Lions’ offensive tackle will breathe a huge sigh of relief if No. 11 is not lining up against them for four quarters.