Monday Night Football is around the corner and it’s a race between the Bengals and the Cowboys. Well, of course, it’s an on-field race, but here we are talking about an individual race between the quarterback and the linebacker. A race between Joe Burrow and Micah Parsons. The race where the finish line can take the former one step closer to the MVP. Who do you think it’s gonna be?

But before we move on to the MVP part, let’s talk about the Bengals. Where are they going wrong? Defense, I’d say. They need to work on that, but during such times, they also require fans’ support—especially after the team’s Week 16 clash, originally scheduled for Thursday Night Football on December 19, was rescheduled to a December 22 (Sunday) 1 pm kickoff. And it seems the team’s QB Joe Burrow has harbored a bit of heartbreak over it…

Ahead of the Bengals’ Week 14 clash against the Cowboys, the QB sat down for a media presser on December 5. At one point, a reporter asked, “Zac Taylor has already said to us a couple times this week that it feels like the spectacle of Monday Night Football is a good opportunity for you guys to showcase what you’re all about at this stage in the season. At 4-8, does Monday night game vs a 1:00 pm Sunday kick off…Does that move the meter for you guys at all?”

To this the QB responded, “I always like playing on prime time, you know. I like showcasing my abilities and hard work, putting that on display in front of the world. So, it’s always an exciting opportunity and I think, whether you like it or not, how you perform on Prime Time games matter as far as perception across the league. That’s when people watch, when the most people pay attention. And so you have to be consistent but I think if you perform great on Prime Time nights, then you start to get a little different reputation across the league.” At face value, this answer might seem pretty simple. However, if we look at the team’s current schedule, can we conclude there’s a hidden pang in Burrow’s heart?

For starters, the Bengals are sitting on top of a dilapidated 4-8, made worse by a struggling rushing offense in the entire NFL. To add to that, their prime time Thursday Night Football slot was given to a Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers clash. Why, you ask? Well, the Prime Time is a hallowed seat in the NFL community for audience engagement, and of course the NFL would try to give it to the best of the lot.

Currently, the Bengals’ and Cowboys’ (5-7) record isn’t something fans would particularly rave about. The Chargers and the Broncos, on the other hand, are second and third in the AFC West, with a 8-4, and 8-5 record, respectively. Surely, no further explanation is needed. And Burrow also seems to realize this fully…

When a media person enquired, “What impression would you want to give to the viewing audience for a national TV game at this stage?” the QB said, “I want to win, but I want to be fun to watch. I always want to be fun to watch. I want people to see my command of the offense and accuracy and playmaking ability and everything that I bring to the table,” before adding, “I want people to tune in to the Bengals and want to watch us.” 

Having said that, the last few games for the Bengals have been worrisome, but they can take a sigh of relief as the Cowboys are pretty much struggling as well. And that adds a thrill to the upcoming face-off.

Parsons’ Cowboys are hungry to continue their momentum and he is ready to hunt down the Bengals. But other than that, there is something else at stake for him and sure he’s determined to achieve that.

Micah Parsons: The best on the field?

Sure, Burrow is leading in the passing TDs but the defense is troubling the Bengals and you see why the Cowboys are better this season than Bengals. It’s understandable that Parsons wants to maintain the team’s 2 game winning streak and for that, he needs to do his best on MNF.

“I’ve got to do my job at an extremely high level. I got to be the best player on the field,” said Parsons before the clash. He also had some praise for Joe Cool: “If Joe Burrow’s record was opposite (8-4 instead of 4-8), he’ll be the leading running for MVP. I still think he should be the MVP. I mean he’s leading in passing yards, passing touchdowns this year.” That’s true, but despite that the Bengals have lost three games in a row.

On the flip side, the Cowboys are riding high with two wins in a row—all thanks to their defense, especially Parsons, who’s unstoppable ever since his return from the ankle injury. And we expect he’s bringing a ‘defensive’ storm—if he sticks to his words—to the Bengals. It seems the Joe Burrow vs Parsons war will be decided by the offense vs defense dynamic of the two teams. Who do you think will come on top?