It is normal to feel a little nervous about a road game when you’re only 2-2-1. Dallas is favored by three points despite CeeDee Lamb still being out, but Dallas has shown both the good and bad this year, and you never know which one will show up.
Carolina is 2-3, but they’ve yet to lose a game at home this season, beating the Falcons and Dolphins. Does that make anyone more nervous about this one? Let’s see what our writers think.
When Carolina has the ball
Bring the seatbelts
Former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle went off last week in his first start of the year, topping 200 yards on the day, and proceeded to tell his former team to “buckle up” for this week. Brian Schottenheimer then jokingly said his team would bring their seatbelts.
They’ll need to, though. Carolina is one of the better rushing offenses in the league right now, whether it’s Dowdle or banged-up starter Chuba Hubbard. And while Dallas has been generally decent against the run this year, they gave up several huge plays last week after Jack Sanborn went down. They’ll need to be on their best against the run to keep this Panthers offense from doing what they do best.
When Dallas has the ball
Run, run, run
The Cowboys are firing on all cylinders right now, offensively speaking. Dak Prescott is building a strong MVP case with the numbers he’s put up with CeeDee Lamb on the sidelines. But this week should be an outlier. The Panthers are undefeated at home for a reason: their field conditions are downright painful for visitors.
That makes everything harder on opponents, but cutting and running routes are especially difficult. That’s not to say the Cowboys shouldn’t throw the ball at all, but if I were calling plays, this is one game where I’m leaning on Javonte Williams more than normal. And, thankfully, the idea of leaning on Williams is actually a really good one.
Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers…
Tom Ryle (3-1-1):
It’s hard to call a game a ‘trap game’ for a 2-2-1 team, but this one worries me a tad. I still think the Cowboys will take care of business on the road.
Cowboys win, 31-23.
Matt Holleran (4-0-1):
When the schedule first came out, I always thought this could be a troublesome game for the Cowboys. I still think that today.
The Panthers aren’t a playoff team, but they are better than the Jets. I think their defensive front will give Dallas fits in the run game and it will be a battle to move the football on the ground. In the end, I see Dallas’ offense making one more big play than Carolina to give them the win.
Give me the Cowboys, 23-20.
Mike Poland (2-2-1):
The Panthers defense have managed to rack up a grand total of 5 sacks this year on defense, that ranks last in the NFL. The Cowboys offensive line, however, has allowed only 7 sacks, that’s fourth fewest. And the crazy part is the Panthers entire edge rusher unit combine for just one sack. That means Dak should have more time to find the likes of Ferguson, Flournoy and Pickens and chew the defense apart.
With the Cowboys defense finding form last week that should give the unit confidence this week heading into a team that’s run-first. Providing they come out in the same manner as last week this is a big Cowboys victory and take two consecutive road wins.
Cowboys go 3-2-1 and win 35-20.
Brian Martin (3-1-1):
The Panthers are so far undefeated at home, but they haven’t squared off against an offense like the Cowboys. Even shorthanded they didn’t skip a beat last week against the Jets and with reinforcements on the way they should easily outscore QB Bryce Young and Company.
Score prediction: Cowboys 37, Panthers 17.
Jess Haynie (3-1-1):
While Carolina benefits from playing at home and against the Dallas D, it won’t be enough to answer Prescott, Pickens, and the Cowboys’ hot offense.
Cowboys 37, Panthers 27.
David Howman (2-2-1):
I said before the season that I was a believer in this Panthers team, specifically head coach Dave Canales. I still feel that way, but the Cowboys have also looked (thus far) to be every bit what I expected them to be too. Considering I had this as a win for Dallas before the season, I still feel that way.
I do, however, think it’ll be a close one. Field conditions are less than ideal, and the Panthers have some real talent. I think this will be a physical game dominated by the rushing attack on both sides, but I see Dak Prescott making just a couple impact plays to tip the scale in the Cowboys’ favor.
Cowboys win, 24-20.
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