Position battleground (offense): Cowboys vs. Panthers head-to-head breakdown

Is the Cowboys offense better than the Panthers?

It was a close defeat last week for the Dallas Cowboys but now it’s onto the Carolina Panthers to try and get back into winning spirits. So how do these two offenses stack up against another? Let’s dive in and find out.

QUARTERBACK

Cooper Rush
vs.
Bryce Young

Cooper Rush had some big misses last week and a few miscues that had the ball skipping off the ground with no receiver in the area. But he did hit on two very good touchdowns. The first came in the first quarter on the first drive (the first time that’s happened in nine weeks), and it was a beautiful rainbow-throw to CeeDee Lamb for the score. The second came in the third quarter to Brandin Cooks and was the only score in the game in the third quarter.

Bryce Young has two issues in Carolina, a lackluster offense and his own underperformance. This year he’s started in ten games and has only seven touchdowns to seven interceptions. In his first four games of the year he failed to score a single passing touchdown and threw three interceptions. Young has yet to have a game this year with a passer rating over 100.

Conclusion:
Let’s compare both quarterbacks statistics here. Rush has 1,191 passing yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Young has 1,572 passing yards with seven touchdowns to seven interceptions. The difference between these two is Rush has matched Young’s production but in just half the amount of games.
Win: Push

RUNNING BACK

Rico Dowdle/Ezekiel Elliott
vs.
Chuba Hubbard/Raheem Blackshear

The last four weeks has seen Dowdle go from bottom of the pack to leading the league. That statement may sound strange but Dowdle, in the last two weeks, has averaged 121 rush yards per game which leads the league in the that timeframe. He now ranks 21st among running backs which is incredible when you think how bad Dallas has been running the ball this year. Setting consecutive career games should give Dowdle the confidence going forward, and the coaches.

Chuba Hubbard leads the way for Carolina and his 1,011 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns ranks sixth-most among running backs this season. Miles Sanders was placed on injured reserve and this week rookie Longhorns tailback, Jonathon Brooks has been shutdown with a knee injury.

Conclusion:
The Cowboys defense has played much better lately and most definitely against the run. On the opposite side, the Panthers defense ranks last in rush yards allowed. That’s frightening when facing an ascending running back that is having better games each consecutive week.
Win: Cowboys

WIDE RECEIVERS

CeeDee Lamb/Brandin Cooks/KaVontae Turpin
vs.
Xavier Legette/Adam Theilen/David Moore

Brandin Cooks scored his first touchdown last week after returning from injury. He followed that up by proving he’s one of the most reliable WR2s in the NFL and scored another touchdown last week. CeeDee Lamb led the team with a 93-yard game and one touchdown, his first score since Week 8. KaVontae Turpin had a quiet game making only one catch for 16 yards. Jalen Tolbert was targeted three times and failed to make a single catch.

For a team struggling on offense it’s easy to say that the wide receiver’s statistics look bad. Xavier Legette leads the team in receiving with a low 432 yards. He’s averaging just 33 yards a game and ranks 83rd among wide receivers this year. Adam Thielen is getting long in the tooth now and that’s showing up this season. He missed a portion of the year with a hamstring injury, and so far this year he’s managed to produce only 367 yards off 28 receptions. Behind Thielen on the roster is David Moore who has 267 yards and one touchdown.

Conclusion:
Lamb and Cooks are easily a bigger one-two punch than Legette and Thielen. Add in the fact that the Panthers average only 186 passing yards per game, that’s sixth-worst, and they have scored only 14 receiving touchdowns, which is only one a game.
Win: Cowboys

TIGHT END

Jake Ferguson
vs.
Ja’Tavion Sanders

With Jake Ferguson back from concussion, Luke Schoonmaker still had a productive day. Sure, Ferguson was targeted six times and recorded 32 receiving yards, but right behind him was Schoonmaker who had a mini breakout in Ferguson’s absence. Either of these tight ends could pop off this week which is good for fans, but makes it tough on who to take in fantasy.

Ja’Tavion Sanders is a player who impresses one week with an 87-yard game, only to follow up with an eight-yard game the week after. And that’s been the tale for Sanders this year. Last week against the Eagles, Sanders was targeted once for zero yards. That’s coming after a week against Kansas City with 49 yards. Sanders has 302 receiving yards and one touchdown this year which puts him 30th among tight ends and way below Ferguson.

Conclusion:
No other team in the NFL has allowed more touchdowns to the tight end position this year than the Carolina Panthers. We can just leave it there.
Win: Cowboys

OFFENSIVE LINE

Tyler Guyton didn’t play due to his high ankle sprain; that put Chuma Edoga back at left tackle. Edoga allowed one sack and four pressures but stayed out of the penalty column which is a plus. Cooper Beebe is one to watch this week as he enters concussion protocol after leaving the game at halftime. If Beebe fails to pass protocol then Brock Hoffman will take the vacant center spot. Tyler Smith had his troubles last week against Cincinnati and will look to bounce back. The Panthers have recorded the third-fewest sacks this year and their defense is giving up the most rush yards per game, which tells fans they should feel confident about this Dallas offensive line dominating this week.

For everything the Panthers fail at on offense, one thing they’ve managed to do is stay strong with their offensive line. To start they have allowed the fourth-fewest sacks. One part of that is Bryce Young scrambling to avoid pressure, the other is this Panthers offensive line is actually pretty good. The line is one shining light on an otherwise depressing roster. The unit isn’t just good at protecting the quarterback, they’re a tough and effective run-blocking group too, maybe even top-10 in that regard. It’s seems weird to say all this when you look at the Panthers offense and how poor it’s been. But their offensive line can hold their hands up and say they performed exceptionally this year and should take zero blame. The offensive line did have some injuries earlier in the year, but the starting five they have now looks very strong.
Win: Panthers