The Dallas Cowboys traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on the Panthers in a battle of the blues that could bring the Cowboys’ record above the .500 mark.
The Dallas Cowboys’ offense started this game stale with an opening drive that accounted for a total of six yards and a Bryan Anger punt.
In true Dallas Cowboys defensive fashion, the Carolina Panthers offense, led by Bryce Young, picked apart the Cowboys’ defense with Rico Dowdle and tight end Mitchell Evens.
The defense was able to put a damper on the Panthers in the red zone, giving up a 31-yard field goal, which gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
Dak Prescott and company got the offense moving on their second series, using George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy to move down the field and into Carolina territory.
The drive stalled at the Panthers’ five-yard line, and the Cowboys settled for a Brandon Aubrey field goal to tie the game up at 3-3.
The Cowboys’ defense made a stand on the next series, ending it with a Donovan Wilson interception, his second of the year.
That interception led to an efficient second drive for Dak Prescott, which ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Luepke to put the Cowboys up 10-3 at the beginning of the second quarter.
The seldom-used Hunter Luepke started the second quarter off with a bang on his 3-yard touchdown catch from Prescott.
The Cowboys’ defense continued to disappoint after the interception, allowing Rico Dowdle to gain yards at will on the ground. Bryce Young assisted the ground game by completing two long passes.
The last pass was a 19-yard score to Tetoria McMillian, tying the game at 10-10.
Dak Prescott and the offense were able to move the ball down the field on the next possession with the help of penalties from the Panthers, which culminated in Prescott and George Pickens picking the defense apart.
The drive ended with a beautiful 19-yard pass to Jake Ferguson for a touchdown, putting the Cowboys up 17-10.
In the final minutes of the second quarter, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense finally put up a fight and was able to hold the offense to a field goal that led to halftime.
Carolina came out punching at the beginning of the third quarter with a long pass to rookie receiver Jimmy Horn Jr.
Rico Dowdle finished off the drive by exposing a terrible Dallas Cowboys zone passing defense with a 33-yard touchdown catch from Bryce Young and making the score 20-17 Carolina.
Javonte Williams and the Cowboys’ offense attempted to establish a strong rushing game, but the Panthers’ defense focused on stopping the run and succeeded.
Rico Dowdle continues to dominate the Cowboys, but Marist Liufau picked up a much-needed sack to slow down the Panthers’ offense.
The Dallas defense actually forced a punt and gave the offense a chance to go back on top in what is becoming an offensive battle.
The Cowboys’ run game was shut down by the Panthers’ front five. Still, the passing game and Carolina defensive penalties kept the offense humming, which culminated in a George Pickens receiving touchdown, putting the Cowboys up 24-20.
This Cowboys’ defense is the first defense in their history to give up 100 yards rushing to a former running back, as Rico Dowdle had slashed the defense up to the end of the third quarter.
How do you stop the number one offense in the NFL? Keep them off the field, and that’s exactly what the Carolina Panthers did by riding the Dowdle train and daring the Cowboys to stop him.
The Panthers were able to retake the lead as the Cowboys’ defense sold out on the run, and Young connected with McMillian on his second touchdown catch of the game. The Panthers took the lead 27-24.
Dak Prescott and George Pickens continued their amazing connection by leading the Cowboys down to the red zone, where the offense stalled out, and Brandon Aubrey came out and tied the game at 27-27.
Penalties killed the Panthers’ drive, and the Cowboys’ defense made a stand with a lot of help from the referees.
Following a penalty-ridden drive by the Panthers, the Cowboys followed up with an equally awful check-down fest to lose 12 yards and punt back to the Panthers late in the fourth quarter.
The Dallas Cowboys defense, not surprisingly, allowed the Panthers’ offense to run and pass the ball down the field on a time-consuming drive that led up to the two-minute warning.
The next play, Dallas gave up a run to give Rico Dowdle his second-consecutive 200-yard rushing game.
The Cowboys due to the defense not being able to stop an offense in the NFL.
The Cowboys lost the battle 30-27 in Charlotte.
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