Inside The Star
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...
