Panthers prepare for Dallas domination in the stands (and likely on the field)

Ahead of the Week 11 matchup, Reich said the Panthers practiced the silent count "in the event they need it," Joe Person of The Athletic reported Friday. 

The Athletic's Jon Machota reported that Reich also addressed the reputation of Cowboys fans. 

"I think everyone knows how well Dallas travels," Reich said. "We have a great city that other teams' fans like to come to. We're prepared either way."

While Dallas enters the game with three wins in four games and has thrashed most of the clearly inferior opponents it's faced in 2023, the Cowboys were susceptible to one trap game earlier this season.

In Week 3 Dallas, went into Arizona to play the then-winless Cardinals as 11.5-point favorites, per vegasinsider.com, before losing 28-16. As of Friday afternoon, vegasinsider.com had the Panthers as 10.5-point underdogs. 

Another similarity is the Dallas defense is once again dealing with a major loss. Before the Arizona game, news broke that star cornerback Trevon Diggs would miss the remainder of the year with an ACL tear. 

On Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told a Dallas radio station that starting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch wouldn't return to the field in 2023. 

Despite the surface-level similarities, don't expect a repeat of Week 3 for Dallas against Carolina. 

Led by rookie quarterback Bryce Young and a revolving door of play-callers, Carolina has been putrid on offense. The Panthers are fourth-worst in the NFL with 17 points per game and seventh-worst with 185.2 passing yards per game. 

While the Vander Esch news is disappointing for the Cowboys, they've had time to get used to playing without him. Since Vander Esch injured his neck in Week 5 against San Fransisco, the Dallas defense hasn't missed a beat, especially playing against raw quarterbacks. 

The biggest problem for Young and Carolina could end up being the Dallas pass rush. 

Young has taken the fifth-most sacks in the NFL in 2023, and the three-headed monster of Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa highlights a defense with 26 sacks through nine games, including five last week against the Giants.

Despite the Week 3 blip, Dallas has handled business against lesser competition, and the Panthers are seemingly in complete disarray. There likely won't be too much to learn about either team from this Week 11 contest.