The Cowboys look to win their third game of 2025 with another of what’s becoming an annual trip to Charlotte, NC, to meet the Panthers. Only their tie result with Green Bay has Dallas slightly above Carolina’s current 2-3 record, so this could be a close one. Based on how the Panthers’ season has gone so far, which Cowboys players could have big days, and who might struggle?
BUY
QB Dak Prescott
With Prescott now in the early MVP conversation based on his hot start, projecting him to have another good day isn’t a hot take. But it’s especially logical given that the Panthers just allowed strong performances from Tua Tagovailoa and Drake Maye in their last two games. Even just after losing Tyreek Hill to injury, Tagovailoa went off for 256 yards and three touchdowns against Carolina last Sunday.
The Panthers’ defense is actually not bad in overall rankings, 12th in yards allowed per game and 18th in points. But those are more from their early games, especially a Week 3 shutout of the Falcons, and not reflective of the last two. Also, Carolina has arguably the league’s worst pass rush with only five sacks so far this year. And three of those just came last week against the Dolphins.
If Prescott has time to breathe in the pocket, he can carve up even the better defenses at his current level of play. Carolina has been more susceptible to the pass, especially lately, so it could be a day to let the offense go through Prescott more than Javonte Williams. And if Dallas is worried about Rico Dowdle’s revenge, the best defense may be their own explosive passing attack.
WR George Pickens
We saw last week that Dak doesn’t have to rely on Pickens to keep the offense moving. If not for their 43-yard touchdown hookup, Pickens would’ve had just one catch for 14 yards on the day. That doesn’t seem likely in Carolina, though. With CeeDee Lamb still out, Pickens should have a strong day given how other number-one receivers have performed recently against the Panthers
While Carolina does have one of the league’s top corners in Jaycee Horn, that didn’t stop Jaylen Waddle from getting six catches for 110 yards and a score last week. The Panthers also allowed New England’s Stefon Diggs six catches for 101 yards in Week 4. Even in an otherwise awful offensive day for Atlanta, Drake London still managed 55 yards on five catches.
Clearly, if an opponent wants to feed their top receiver, Carolina hasn’t been able to do much about it. After Ryan Flournoy’s huge day in New York, this feels like a good week for Pickens and Prescott to resume the potent connection we saw against the Packers.
DE Dante Fowler
Fowler seemed like a new man against New York, terrorizing Justin Fields throughout the day. Panthers QB Bryce Young has been sacked at least once in every game, and in two games was taken down three times. If the Cowboys’ pass rush has found an improved methodology, and didn’t just benefit from playing the Jets, they have a decent shot at proving it in Carolina.
Of course, if the Panthers also saw Fowler’s play and decide to focus on him, the big day could come from James Houston or maybe Donovan Ezeiruaku. But Houston has his own budding reputation, which has been more consistent so far this year, and could be the guy opponents are more concerned about. That’s why we’re leaning more toward Fowler this week.
It also helps that the Panthers’ standout right tackle Taylor Moton will be out with an elbow injury.
SELL
RB Jaydon Blue
This might seem strange given Miles Sanders just went to IR, but we don’t see a breakout game here Blue. As mentioned above, the passing game may get higher volume this week. And given how well Williams is playing, it will be hard to keep feeding him. Blue only got four carries last week despite a lopsided score. With KaVontae Turpin expected to miss another week, he could still get time on special teams and in a few unique offensive packages. But the slow start to the rookie’s career could easily continue in Carolina.
Other WRs
While the Panthers have been generous to opponents’ top receivers, the rest of them have tended to be quiet. After those top wideouts, the next best passing targets have been teams’ starting tight ends. So while this is good news for Jake Ferguson, it could mean Ryan Flournoy has to come back down to earth this week. It also doesn’t seem that Jalen Tolbert will be getting a turn in the spotlight.
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