For the third consecutive year in a row the Dallas Cowboys will hit the road to take on the Carolina Panthers. While this Week 6 matchup currently favors the Cowboys to put another notch in the win column, we can’t exactly count out the Panthers considering they are still currently undefeated at home. Because of that, this shapes up to be an interesting matchup between two teams looking to create a winning streak.
Like in every game each week, there are certain matchups that could sway the outcome one way or another depending on the end result. Today, we look at a few of these matchups we will be paying particularly close attention to in this Week 6 matchup between the Cowboys and Panthers.
RB Javonte Williams vs. RB Rico Dowdle
The past meets the present. While this definitely isn’t a head to head battle, it is a matchup that could alter the game one way or another depending on how each of these running backs perform. Both Javonte Williams and Rico Dowdle are coming off career games after their Week 5 performances and would like nothing more to follow that up with another dominant performance on the ground. As Dallas’ starting RB last year, Dowdle may be a little extra motivated to stick it to his former team and his former teammates would probably like nothing more than to stonewall him. With the way Williams has been toting the rock though, he’ll likely have the better day.
QB Dak Prescott vs. Panthers’ defense
Dak Prescott has simply been phenomenal this year, even without his best playmaker and playing behind a patchwork OL due to injuries. He’s definitely playing some of his best football and could be an MVP favorite right now. There’s no reason to expect him to start playing poorly, but he could have his work cut out for him this week against Carolina. They’re currently ranked 12th in the league allowing only 311.6 yards per game, 14th in rushing yards per game (107.2), and 10th in passing yards per game (204.4). Despite those impressive numbers, this is still a matchup that heavily favors the Cowboys with the way Prescott has been playing this year.
Cowboys’ pass rush vs. QB Bryce Young
The Cowboys pass rush hasn’t been the same the season without Micah Parsons, but they are showing signs of improvement. Just last week they continuously applied pressure to QB Justin Fields, sacking him five times. This week they hope to do the same to Panthers’ QB Bryce Young. Young has been sacked a total of nine times so far this season and the Cowboys are hoping to add to that total. Keep an eye on Justin Houston. He currently leads the Cowboys with 3.5 sacks, 2.5 of which he’s accumulated in the last two games. Houston has been one of the more pleasant surprises this year and hopefully continues to harass opposing QBs.
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