Parsons embraces underdog status vs. 49ers: 'Always a great story to tell'

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons wants his team to embrace its underdog status in the divisional-round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

"What everybody's saying, we hear it. 'No way the Cowboys are going to win,'" Parsons said Thursday, according to The Athletic's Jon Machota. "I think you should feed into it; you should love that stuff. When no one believes in you, that's the best feeling. I really like being the underdog. It's always a great story to tell."

"I'm super excited. This is who I wanted. If this is the three-headed dragon, we need to cut one of the heads off. Either way, you're gonna meet them at some point. Are you gonna be ready for your moment? I'd rather it now than later," he added.

Sunday's matchup between the 49ers and Cowboys is arguably this week's most anticipated game, featuring two of the best teams in the NFL. San Francisco - currently on an 11-game win streak - posted a 13-4 record in the regular season, while Dallas went 12-5.

"No," Parsons said when asked if they've faced anything like the 49ers' offense this season, "but I don't think they've faced nobody like us yet this year, either. I think we're pretty hard to stop. That's what we gotta focus on, not beating ourselves."

The 49ers eliminated the Cowboys in the wild-card round in Dallas last season. Parsons didn't register a sack or a quarterback hit in that game.

"I don't want to go out there and try to outcompete the 49ers," Parsons said Thursday. "They're gonna beat my ass if I play their game. I'm going to play my game."

Parsons has put on a show this campaign, racking up 13.5 sacks and three forced fumbles during the regular season. He also had one sack and two pass breakups in the wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.