Micah Parsons in and out of injury tent as his Packers visit the Cowboys a month after trade

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Micah Parsons hadn't gone through the pain of sacking his former mentor, though the star rusher for the Green Bay Packers seemed to be hurting himself during his return to Dallas.

Parsons briefly went into the injury tent after coming down hard on his behind and reaching at his lower back area on the sideline late in the third quarter Sunday night, exactly a month after the Cowboys unloaded Parsons in a blockbuster trade that ended a long and acrimonious stalemate over a contract extension.

As he came out of the medical tent just as that touchdown drive was ending, Parsons got his helmet, then turned toward the field just as the Cowboys scored to go up 23-20. He raised his arms in apparent frustration and almost threw his helmet.

After the Packers retook the lead with a touchdown, Parsons was on the field for their first defensive play after that early in the fourth quarter — a drive that end with another Dallas TD and a 30-27 lead with five minutes left.

Parsons told The Associated Press at the start of the week that it would be “painful” to sack his mentor, Prescott.

“I hope it’s not (painful) for me,” Prescott said during the week leading up to the much-hyped reunion. “And I hope he doesn’t get me for one.”

Parsons entered the game with 1 1/2 sacks for the Packers, while the Cowboys not surprisingly have been left with one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. Dallas also had the 32nd-ranked pass defense, and on the game’s opening drive gave up a 46-yard pass from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden to convert third-and-9, and then a 2-yard TD catch by Romeo Doubs.

“I just feel like my fuel’s always been trying to be the best player,” Parsons said in the lead-up to the game. “When you’ve got a good team and you’ve got to beat them, you’ve got to show up in the prime-time games, that you’ve got to be your best player for yourself, for your team and everyone there.”

There were Dallas fans who tried to implore owner Jerry Jones to pay Parsons as the contract issue lingered through training camp and the preseason.

The trade was contingent upon Parsons agreeing to a $188 million, four-year extension. That $47 million annual average is the highest for a non-quarterback in league history.

Jones said he believed he had a deal in place with Parsons at $40.5 million per season, which at the time would have made Parsons the first defensive player to surpass $40 million annually.

The agreement came in a conversation between the two, and Jones never engaged Parsons' agent despite the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year's insistence that David Mulugheta be his final negotiator.

There were plenty of Parsons' No. 11 Cowboys jerseys at AT&T Stadium, even a few doctored in some form of protest against Jones.

There were also a lot of No. 1 Packers jerseys, and plenty of Green Bay fans anticipating a lopsided win by the Packers, who were favored by a touchdown on the road, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. There were loud “Go Pack Go!” chants before the game.

Parsons had expressed confidence about getting a warm reception, though there was a mix of cheers and boos when he took the field for Green Bay's first defensive play. He wasn't bothered by Jones saying a video tribute wasn't appropriate after four seasons with the club. Parsons was a two-time All-Pro.

“I think the world of Micah as an individual and of course know him well,” Jones said on his radio show during the week. “I might say, ‘Wish him well,’ except it's obvious I don't this weekend in terms of Green Bay winning the game.”

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