Micah Parsons returns fumble recovery for first career touchdown

Micah Parsons continued his Defensive Player of the Year campaign with another memorable moment in the Dallas Cowboys' win over the Chicago Bears. 

Parsons recovered a third-quarter fumble after Leighton Vander Esch stripped the ball from Bears running back David Montgomery, then, after realizing that quarterback Justin Fields jumped over him — and never touched him — ran the ball all the way back to the end zone. 

It marked the star Cowboys linebacker's first career touchdown, on a play that perfectly encapsulated the athleticism and awareness that makes Parsons a favorite for his first career DPOY award. Many on Twitter expressed their awe for Parsons, including Fox Sports analysts Geoff Schwartz and Jason McIntyre.

As FOX Sports Cowboys insider David Helman pointed out, Parsons was initially pressuring Fields to throw the ball — then sprinted across the field to recover the fumble.

If Fields had simply touched Parsons while Parsons lay on the field corralling the football, Parsons would have been down by contact and unable to run the ball back for the touchdown. But Fields instead chose to leap over Parsons, and the Cowboys linebacker took advantage of being one of the only players on the field who appeared to realize the play was still live. Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe was incredulous at Fields' decision.

By the time the other players realized what was happening, Parsons was showing off his speed en route to the end zone.

The Cowboys beat the Bears 49-29 to take a 6-2 record into their bye week as Parsons improved his chances of earning some postseason hardware —and earned high praise from FOX Sports' Emmanuel Acho.