The matchup between the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys on Sunday will feature legitimate candidates for NFL Offensive Player of the Year and for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

And it’s entirely possible that the outcome of this showdown could be determine by whether it’s Tyreek Hill (assuming he plays) or Micah Parsons who ends up having the better game.

The two of them are among the most outgoing personalities in the NFL, each with his own podcast — “It Needed To Be Said” for Hill, the “Edge With Micah Parsons” for the Cowboys star — and they have a relationship that’s friendly enough that Hill hooked up Parsons with some tickets for the game at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

This will be the first regular season meeting between the two players since Parsons arrived as a first-round pick in 2021, which was Hill’s sixth NFL season.

They did have a showdown at the 2022 Pro Bowl skills competition when Parsons actually defeated Hill and two others in a “fastest man race.”

While it’s obvious this wasn’t a serious race, don’t think Parsons missed the chance to bring it up this week.

Yes, that was tongue in cheek.

This wasn’t.

“It’s not fun at all when you’re ready to go against someone like Tyreek Hill because I know I got to run faster than I ever have all year,” Parsons said. “I might hit a miles-per-hour mach speed chasing someone like him. … It’s fascinating to watch it, but when you’re actually playing in it, it’s like, ‘Ahh damn, I gotta deal with this sh*t now, damn.’ But it’s cool. Tyreek Hill hooked me up with some tickets for my fam coming down for the Christmas game. That’s a blessing. I’m just excited to play.”

PLANNING TO SLOW DOWN PARSONS

While defending Hill is a nightmare for opposing defenses, the same can be said for trying to keep Parsons from wreaking havoc on your offense.

Yes, Parsons is a problem.

The former Penn State standout already has 12.5 sacks in 2023 and is well on his way to being a first-team All-Pro selection for the third time in three NFL seasons.

While the Cowboys will move Parsons around the line of scrimmage throughout the game, he usually lines up on the left side of the defensive formation, across the right tackle.

That means Austin Jackson, who is nursing an oblique injury, better come ready to play. The same would apply to veteran Kendall Lamm if Jackson winds up inactive.

In either case, one would think the Dolphins would make it a point to provide help to their right tackle on occasion, if not frequently.

Parsons will make plays, that’s a given. What the Dolphins can’t afford is him making game-changing plays.

As to whether he can chase down Hill after a reception, that’s another story, though it clearly will make for some interesting fodder down the line.

Of more immediate concern is hoping that Hill is the difference-maker Sunday, and not Hill.