Let’s get something out of the way up top here. There are a lot of very good edge rushers in the NFL. One of them is Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
It makes sense that the 33rd Team, an NFL site that provides analysis from a ton of former players, current players and executives, would aim for some social media engagement by including Parsons in a hypothetical pass rusher-offensive lineman matchup. It makes less sense that his opponent in their hypothetical matchup is 49ers left tackle Trent Williams.
The 33rd Team on Sunday posted this on Twitter:
One rep.
1 🆚 1.
Who wins? pic.twitter.com/fPZwH6LXqg
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) June 22, 2024
The numbers on the graphic are genuinely compelling. It’s a player who racks up a ton of sacks facing a player who does not give up very many sacks. Pitting the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object is a good way to spark debate.
Alas, there’s a flaw in this hypothetical. We’ve seen it play out when Parsons faces the 49ers, and it doesn’t go well for the Cowboys do-everything LB.
In three career games against Williams and San Francisco, including two playoff games, Parsons has 17 tackles, one tackle for loss, 13 pressures, one quarterback hit, and 0.0 sacks.
Conversely, in those same three games, Williams has allowed neither a sack nor QB hit while giving up just three total pressures.
Parsons bounces around the line when he plays San Francisco, lining up over both the left and right tackles so it isn’t just a straight across Williams vs. Parsons matchup every time. He hasn’t had much sustained success against any 49ers offensive lineman though, much less Williams.
Alas, the answer to the hypothetical presented by the 33rd Team is a simple one. We’ll take Williams, the player who has already won this matchup repeatedly in games that matter.
