Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images CeeDee Lamb has had an incredible start to his NFL career. The Dallas Cowboys have done one thing well this season, and that’s win on the road. They improved to 5-2 away from AT&T Stadium and 6-8 overall with a 30-14 win against the Carolina Panthers. One of the stars of the game was wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had his second game of the season over the century mark with 116 yards on nine receptions and a touchdown. He also put his name in the Cowboys record books. Lamb went over 1,000 yards for the season on Sunday. With that, he became the first Cowboys receiver to go over 1,000 yards four times in their first five years in Dallas. He gets to share a little history after his performance as well. Lamb joined Michael Irvin as the only receivers in Cowboys history with four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Irvin did it five straight times from 1991 to 1995. WHAT A CATCH CEEDEE FOX pic.twitter.com/RE0j6SxBLI — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 15, 2024 Lamb also moved past a former five-time Pro Bowler on a specific list. He replaced former second-round pick Jarvis Landry as the receiver with the second-most receptions in NFL in history in their first five seasons (489). The record is 510 by Michael Thomas. Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals has stolen the headlines at receiver this season in the NFL. However, Lamb is once again producing at an elite level. He’s up to 94 receptions for 1,089 yards and six touchdowns on the year. Once he gets six more receptions, it will be his third straight campaign with 100 or more in that category. It’s fair to point out that quarterback Dak Prescott hasn’t played since early November and won’t again this season due to a torn hamstring. It’s a testament to Lamb that he can still perform at a high level with a guy as limited as Cooper Rush throwing him the football. The former first-round pick was given his long-term financial security before the season, and he’s proving that the Cowboys were smart for doing so.
Cowboys dominate Panthers, score 30-14 win as road underdogs
Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images The Cowboys controlled just about the entire game against Carolina The Dallas Cowboys were just a hair away from beating the Cincinnati Bengals last week and pulling off their third straight win, but it was not meant to be. Between that and the loss of DeMarvion Overshown to a devastating injury, many wondered if the Cowboys may implode the rest of the year. Rumors of the team’s demise were greatly exaggerated, as it turns out. Despite coming into this game on a short week and the Panthers being favored by 2.5 points, Dallas dominated this game from start to finish. The 30-14 final score doesn’t even reflect how far apart these teams were, either. It started out slow for both teams. The Cowboys punted on their opening drive after a penalty on Chuma Edoga wiped out a 25-yard reception for CeeDee Lamb. The Panthers, whose offense has looked much better in recent weeks, started moving the ball down the field. They reached the tip of the red zone before Marist Liufau forced the first of a handful of takeaways for the defense. @marist_09 : #DALvsCAR on FOX : Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbZgQM pic.twitter.com/6rYuZqkRQD — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 15, 2024 The Cowboys couldn’t do much with it, punting after a three-and-out. The Panthers copied them on their next drive to take us to the end of the first quarter with everything knotted up at 0-0. Apparently, the Cowboys were just waiting for the second quarter to start. Cooper Rush started feeding Lamb, who accounted for 62 of the Cowboys’ 77 yards on the drive. Two of his caches went for 20+ yards and moved the chains on big third downs. The third catch was an incredible diving effort for a touchdown to put Dallas up 7-0. CeeDee Lamb so far today: 4 targets, 4 catches, 70 yards, TD pic.twitter.com/7pgVcVEx8V — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 15, 2024 Following the touchdown, the Dallas defense came up with another big play. As Bryce Young tried to fit the ball in on a slant route, Jourdan Lewis broke up the pass, inadvertently batting it right to Eric Kendricks for an interception. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, but it still put them up 10-0. The defense forced a three-and-out following the score, giving Rush and the offense a chance to take a commanding lead. For a while, it looked like they’d take advantage of the opportunity too. A big catch-and-run from Jake Ferguson turned a second and 20 into third and one. Dallas ran a read-option, with Rush pulling the ball with options to run or pass for the first. But Rush fumbled the ball and a Carolina defender fell on it. The Panthers took just one play to take advantage of the takeaway. Young hit Jalen Coker, who had gotten behind the defense on a busted coverage, for a huge 83-yard touchdown with just 31 seconds left in the half. Dallas got in range for a 70-yard field goal try, but Brandon Aubrey shanked the attempt to keep things at 10-7 going into halftime. Still, that score wasn’t representative of how dominant the Cowboys had been, and that remained the same in the second half. The Dallas defense forced a fumble on the very first play of the third quarter and the offense capped it off with a toe-tapping touchdown to Jalen Tolbert. Mike Zimmer’s unit would force a three-and-out on each of the Panthers’ next two drives, and Rush found Jalen Brooks for an impressive touchdown in between. That gave them a 24-7 lead, which they took into the fourth quarter. From there, the Cowboys were basically in clock-killing mode the rest of the way, while the Panthers were running an extended two-minute drill. Young scampered in for a touchdown halfway through the quarter, and Aubrey hit two field goals to bring about the final score, but this game was over well before then. Two consecutive mistakes right before halftime kept things closer than they really were, but the Cowboys came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter to widen the gap. The defense was playing lights out, forcing four takeaways and sacking Young six times. The offense was still uneven, but they managed to move the ball well. Lamb became the second Cowboys receiver ever (after Michael Irvin, of course) to post four straight 1,000+ yard receiving seasons, and Rico Dowdle made it three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards. Both players paced an offense that had little trouble against the Panthers and their beleaguered defense. This win won’t make many believers of the Cowboys, but the Panthers had been playing good football as of late. In their last three games, they lost to the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Eagles by a combined 12 points. Beating this team by 16 with a backup quarterback and a constantly rotating offensive line that has its fair share of injuries is nothing to sneeze at.
Team discipline and value of star power among Cowboys Week 15 takeaways
CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Rico Dowdle ruled the day. In case anyone has been wondering if superstars are worth it, Week 15 served as Exhibit A in the affirmative. On a day where virtually every ball Cooper Rush threw was late and behind, Lamb managed to pull in nine receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. He put on a clinic by catching everything in sight. Parsons made his case as one of the NFL’s biggest superstars. He logged four tackles, two sacks and two hits. Official pressures haven’t been tallied but he was a menace rushing from all over the field. Dowdle may not be at superstar status yet, but he sure played like it. He rushed for 149 yards on 25 carries for a 6.0 yards/carry average. Some of that is a product of Carolina’s soft defensive line but most of it was Dowdle’s ability to win at the second level.
Dallas Cowboys up big on Carolina Panthers after third quarter
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images The Cowboys had a huge third quarter against the Panthers. 3rd Quarter The Panthers had a turnover on their first possession of the game which took a second to happen what with how they deferred. This obviously meant that they got the ball to start the second half. It turns out they wanted to keep consistency and had another turnover. It came on the very first offensive play as Osa Odighizuwa got right to Bryce Young and poked the ball loose for Chauncey Golston to recover. OSA!!!! (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/61bo8Y3ZVm — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 Shortly after it appeared as if Rico Dowdle had a fumble of his own, but the play was reviewed and after a bit of time ultimately things were determined that Dowdle did not turn it over. The field position had Dallas threatening to score already and soon enough they cashed in. It was Cooper Rush finding Jalen Tolbert for the second Cowboys touchdown of the day. COOPER TO TOLBERT TD (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/12SrH6EvJn — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Panthers could do nothing much on offense and wound up punting. Outside of the crazy play at the end of the first half, the Panthers were held in check by the Cowboys at this point. This gave Dallas the ball back and they began to move and groove once again. Soon enough they were in position to threaten for a touchdown and we saw what might have been the prettiest one of Cooper Rush’s career. It was his third of the day and the first ever for Jalen Brooks! RUSH HOUR BABY (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/OupCWq5q7U — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 Back to defense… the Cowboys continued to shine. Micah Parsons got his first sack of the game and as the drive wrapped up even Jourdan Lewis got to the quarterback. It was that kind of day. The quarter finished with Dallas threatening once more. 2nd Quarter The quarter began with the Cowboys getting the ball off of Carolina’s punt. Dallas responded impressively and traveled 87 yards across 10 plays for a touchdown, the first points of the game. The drive included three different third-down receptions from CeeDee Lamb, including an incredible adjustment on the touchdown itself. CEEDEE TD (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/KPXS8SbBXe — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 The Panthers started to move a little bit and the question as to whether or not they were going to tie the game started to surface. Thankfully, Jourdan Lewis stepped in to bat a pass that Eric Kendricks was able to pick off! LEWIS. KENDRICKS. INT. (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/lP0ZZkUWGE — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 The interception set the Cowboys up with great field position, one they were able to properly capitalize on. It wasn’t a touchdown, but Brandon Aubrey did hit a 52-yard field goal to make the lead double digits. On the other side of things the Cowboys defense kept up their stellar play. Marist Liufau and Eric Kendricks each made some impressive plays to set the Panthers up with a third and long that they couldn’t overcome before punting. The Cowboys were moving and threatening to score before halftime in a way that would really put the game out of reach for Carolina. Right as they were on the verge of the goal line though, Cooper Rush mishandled the ball and it led to a fumble that Carolina recovered. As if that weren’t bad enough… on the very first Panthers play Bryce Young found Jalen Coker for an 83-yard touchdown. It was quite the swing. Coker 83 yards to the house! : FOX pic.twitter.com/tNU6kz0H9u — Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 15, 2024 The Cowboys were on the verge of leading at halftime 13-0 and potentially even 17-0. Thanks to all of the chaos they went into the locker room with things 10-7. They did manage to give Brandon Aubrey a 70-yard field goal attempt before halftime. He missed it pretty badly, obviously that’s a tough kick! 1st Quarter The Panthers won the toss and deferred which set the Cowboys up first. Dallas wound up putting together an impressive-looking drive that featured plenty of Rico Dowdle, but it ultimately fizzled out and ended with a 15-yard sack against Cooper Rush on third down. On the other side of things the Panthers began to move with relative ease. Bryce Young appeared very comfortable and even put a spin move on Micah Parsons… before Marist Liufau punched the ball loose for a fumble! MARIST!!! (via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/WKeQjUQ84g — Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) December 15, 2024 Unfortunately things did not go all too well for the Cowboys. They went three and out immediately after, partly thanks to a brutal drop from Jalen Tolbert on third down. The first quarter ended as Carolina set up to punt right after. Follow Blogging The Boys Everywhere Follow Blogging The Boys on X (formerly Twitter) Follow Blogging The Boys on Instagram Follow Blogging The Boys on Facebook Subscribe to the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel Notable Recent News Before the game it was reported by NFL.com that Stephen Jones spoke about how the Cowboys will evaluate their commitment to high-level players over the offseason. Injury Updates On Saturday it was reported that cornerback Trevon Diggs is the latest player on the Cowboys who needs season-ending surgery. NFL News Relevant To The Cowboys As Sunday’s games began the Cowboys’ playoff hopes hung in the balance as elimination scenarios officially circled them. It’s another noon game for the Cowboys today in Carolina. Dallas will be looking to avoid official elimination from playoff contention. Here are the scenarios … DALLAS will be eliminated with:1) DAL loss + WAS win/tie2) DAL tie + WAS win — Damon R. Marx (@DamonMarxDMN) December 15, 2024 Dan Quinn delivering the final blow would be something. Up Next For The Cowboys The Cowboys are back at home
Cowboys vs Panthers 2024 Week 15 game day live discussion
Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The Cowboys take on the Panthers in Week 15. The Dallas Cowboys take on the Carolina Panthers. Enjoy! This is an open thread for game chat.
Cowboys safety fined for Week 14 hip-drop tackle vs Bengals
Cowboys safety fined for Week 14 hip-drop tackle vs Bengals Todd Brock The NFL has been seeking to take the so-called “hip-drop tackle” out of the sport. Now they’re taking a big chunk of change out of Donovan Wilson’s pocket for deploying it last week. The league has fined the Cowboys safety $16,883 for his fourth-quarter tackle of Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson during the 27-20 loss Monday night. The play did not incur a penalty during the game, but league officials have determined that Wilson’s actions met the requirements to be classified as a hip-drop tackle. The move falls under the category of unnecessary roughness and is therefore subject to a fine, even without being flagged on the field. According to a rule change for the 2024 season, a hip-drop tackle can be called if a player grabs or wraps the runner with both hands or arms and also “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.” [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] The move has caused severe injury to several high-profile players in recent years, including running back Tony Pollard while playing for the Cowboys during the 2022 postseason. San Francisco safety Jimmie Ward used the hip-drop technique to bring Pollard to the ground; Pollard suffered a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula. Fourteen months after that injury, NFL owners unanimously voted to make it illegal, following a film review of 20,000 tackles that calculated the hip-drop technique resulting in an injury rate “20 times the others.” Though the hip-drop is punishable on the field with a 15-yard walkoff and an automatic first down, it’s resulted in more monetary fines after the fact than penalties on the field during its first year of enforcement. Wilson is the first Cowboys player to be fined for a hip-drop tackle. He was previously docked $11,255 for a Week 5 late hit in the team’s win over Pittsburgh. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Cowboys at Panthers: Writer predictions for Dallas road trip
Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images Who do you think wins between Dallas and Carolina? The Dallas Cowboys snapped their win streak with a boneheaded loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals and now go on the road to face a scrappy Carolina Panthers team. Carolina is just 3-10, but they’re 2-3 in their last five games, and those losses have come by a combined 12 points. That’s a major factor in the Panthers being slightly favored to win this one, but our writers don’t necessarily agree with that. When Carolina has the ball Simulated pressures for days Bryce Young has been playing drastically better football since he came back into the starting lineup, and the young quarterback has been poised under pressure. The Panthers don’t exactly have a ton of weapons in the passing game, but Young has returned with a better feel for how to find his guys. The Mike Zimmer defense should give him trouble, though. Since Micah Parsons returned from injury, Dallas is sixth in EPA/dropback, and a big part of that is how creative Zimmer can get with his simulated pressure looks now. Zimmer should be able to make Young’s head spin at least enough times to force some errors in this one. When Dallas has the ball Run, Rico, run Last week, the Bengals came into the game with the second-worst scoring defense. Only the Panthers were worse, and they’re still giving up the most points per game. A big part of that is their run defense, which ranks dead last in rushing yards allowed per game; their 170.1 yards per game is 23 yards per game more than the 31st run defense. The Cowboys have stabilized their run game ever since they started consistently feeding Rico Dowdle, and last week he became the first Cowboy in two years to record consecutive 100+ rushing games. He should be able to hit three straight against this struggling Carolina front. Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers… Tom Ryle (8-5): I was thinking this was the only remaining game that Dallas could win, but I think I’m changing my mind. The loss of Overshown might be too big for the defense, and I’m not sure the offense can make up the slack. Add in the way they lost on Monday night, and it feels like the Panthers should win. Panthers win, 23-19. Matt Holleran (8-5): Before the season this was a game almost everyone circled as a guaranteed Cowboys win. As we now know, nothing is guaranteed with this team and it’s actually the Panthers not the Cowboys who are favored to win this matchup. Carolina has played much better football since inserting young QB Bryce Young back into the starting lineup. Carolina’s defense has also been much improved, allowing 22 points or fewer in three of their last five games. After a deflating loss on a short week I think Dallas comes into this game sleepwalking a bit. The Cowboys fall into an early defective that they’re unable to climb out of, even with a strong second half. Give me the Panthers, 24-17. Jess Haynie (10-3): Between the way they lost to the Bengals and the awful DeMarvion Overshown injury, this last one might have broken the Cowboys’ spirit. Now they have to go on the road on a short week, plus the Panthers have been showing heart lately. This last little flurry of fight from Dallas was cute, but the second wind is now probably out of their sails. Panthers 30, Cowboys 20. Mike Poland (6-7): The Cowboys have beaten the Panthers seven out of the last ten meetings. Yes, the Panthers of late have looked much better than how they started, but injuries are creeping in for them again. Two defensive backs, two of their linebackers and one pass rusher are impacted by injury this week. That’s on a defense that has the fewest pressures, allowed the rushing yards and has allowed the second-most passing touchdowns. It’s a tough matchup for the Panthers that has a rapidly ascending running back and CeeDee Lamb. Cowboys win 27-17. Dana Bartholomew (10-3): Although the Panthers are favored over the Cowboys as they have been putting up some tough fights against formidable opponents in their past few losses, there are some matchups in this game that heavily favor the Cowboys. The main one being Rico Dowdle vs. the Panthers’ run defense who is dead last in the NFL. If the Cowboys are able to exploit this match up while the defense keeps the Panthers’ scoring to a minimum, they should be able to defy the odds on Sunday and return to Dallas with a win. Give me the Cowboys to win this one, 20-17. Brian Martin (9-4): Watching the Panthers nearly upset the Eagles last week and then lose by only a field goal to both the Buccaneers and Chiefs in the weeks prior, this isn’t a team as bad as their record suggests. They are actually favored in this Week 16 matchup with the Cowboys and have the home field advantage. Because of all that, give me Carolina, 20-17. RJ Ochoa (9-4): Last week I thought it was insane that Cincinnati was as favored as they were against Dallas and then the Cowboys had the audacity to let the Bengals cover. In spite of this, I feel on some level like Dallas played the better game. Obviously they lost which opened the door (this is on them to be clear) for criticism against them and I think this has warped our current perception of them a little. Give me the Cowboys over the Panthers, a team who is certainly a little hot right now, by a somewhat comfy margin. David Howman (8-5): Neither of these teams are good, but they’ve both been playing feisty football lately to make this a surprisingly compelling matchup. I genuinely like what I’ve been seeing from Bryce Young lately, but facing off against a Mike Zimmer defense with Micah Parsons
Cowboys news: Trevon Diggs needs season-ending surgery
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. Cowboys Reveal Bad Trevon Diggs Surgery News Amid 5 Roster Moves – Mike Fisher, Athlon Sports Another one bites the dust. Former All-Pro cornerback will undergo surgery. The Dallas Cowboys have had their season rocked by injuries, and in truth, it started back in training camp when Sam Williams suffered an ACL injury. Since then, it’s all been downhill. Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, Brandin Cooks, Zack Martin, Trevon Diggs, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland, Juanyeh Thomas, Jake Ferguson, Tyler Smith, Asim Richards, Caelen Carson, Markquese Bell, Tyler Guyton, and now DeMarvion Overshown have all missed time this season. Yes, “this is football’’ and injuries are a part of it and all of that. But … Whoever has that voodoo doll has been working overtime. And now we know more about the Cowboys getting needled as on Saturday they made moves involving five guys. Pro Bowl CB Trevon Diggs is not only out … he is also now set to have season-ending knee surgery, per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. Diggs will now not be traveling with Cowboys to the Panthers game. Also, CB Andrew Booth and C Dakoda Shepley are called up. And LB DeMarvion Overshown moves to IR. Cowboys Rumors: Execs Feel Jones May Keep ‘Lame Duck’ HC McCarthy with Strong Finish – Adam Peters, Bleacher Report It’s not over yet for Mike McCarthy. Despite a disappointing season, some executives think Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy could save his job with a strong finish to the year. Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, executives around the league believe the Cowboys “might stick with their ‘lame duck’ coach if they see enough progress and the locker room support the coach has received continues.” Russini also reported that stars like quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons have vocally supported McCarthy as head coach throughout the season. The Cowboys’ playoff odds got even worse after they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday to drop to 5-8. To avoid elimination this week, they would need to win their matchup against the Carolina Panthers while also getting some help from the Washington Commanders, who would need to lose or tie against the New Orleans Saints, per the NFL Playoff Scenarios. Even if it can avoid being eliminated from the playoff picture this week, Dallas would need a bit of a miracle to sneak into the postseason with just four games remaining. In McCarthy’s defense, his squad has been depleted by injuries this year with Prescott suffering a season-ending hamstring injury and Parsons missing a few games due to an ankle sprain. In total, the Cowboys have had 13 players on the injured reserve list this year. 3 Cowboys who have earned large contracts in free agency – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star These players have done enough to command a pay raise. DT Osa Odighizuwa Osa Odighizuwa is another player who is in line for a payday after his rookie contract expires after this season. Osa has played well for the Cowboys, recording 27 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, and 53 QB hits in his career. The former UCLA Bruin has not been a stalwart in rush defense. At 280 pounds, he is more adept and rushing the passer. Defensive tackles who can rush the passer are gold for defensive coordinators. For that reason, he might be re-signed by the Cowboys, but I wouldn’t put my money on it. If Osa is allowed to walk in free agency along with Linval Joseph, the only defensive tackles left on the roster who have contributed would be Mazi Smith and…Mazi Smith. Another position group depleted. OL Brock Hoffman Brock Hoffman has the chance to add even more to his resume over the last four games of the season. Hoffman started at right guard in place of an injured Zack Martin, and he played great. He also has the flexibility to play center, as he showed us against Cincinnati after Cooper Beebe suffered a concussion. Hoffman is likely in line for the start at center once again against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday, and his fire and competitiveness on the field are a big reason the Cowboys have been playing tougher and more competitive football recently. As an undrafted free agent, Hoffman climbed the ranks with hard work and dedication, and now he is a quality starter on the offensive line. He is one that I believe the Cowboys will spend in free agency for him to stay. Cowboy vs Panthers: 3 bold predictions for Sunday’s matchup-Matthew Holleran, Blogging the Boys These hot takes that could happen in today’s game versus the Panthers. 1) Bryce Young continues his resurgence, tossing multiple touchdown passes for the second time this season Coming into the season, we knew how big of a year 2024 was for Bryce Young. The former number-one overall pick struggled during his rookie year, completing just 59% of his passes and throwing for 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. It was imperative to both Young and the Panthers that the 23-year-old quarterback progressed during the offseason and got off to a good start this season. Unfortunately for both parties, the opposite occurred. Young struggled to the tune of just three touchdown passes and six interceptions in the first six games he played in this season. Things got so bad that he eventually was benched and replaced by veteran Andy Dalton. Young eventually got his job back after Dalton suffered an unfortunate thumb injury in a car accident. While he didn’t light the world on fire right out of the gate, Young’s last five performances have been much better. The young quarterback has thrown five touchdown passes to just one interception in those games, three coming against capable opponents in the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Over those three weeks with games against potential playoff teams, Young is ninth in the NFL in EPA/Play (0.154) and thirteenth in EPA + CPOE. (0.109)
Cowboys vs Panthers: 3 things to love about the Week 15 opponent
Cowboys vs Panthers: 3 things to love about the Week 15 opponent Ben Grimaldi The Dallas Cowboys will be on the road to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 15 and despite their opponents’ recent surge, there are reasons to love the matchup. Both teams are coming off tough losses that could’ve been wins if they made the plays at the right moments. For the Cowboys, it was botching situational football on a blocked punt, and for the Panthers, it was dropping a touchdown that would’ve made the Philadelphia Eagles the laughingstock of the league. Neither team was able to get the job done, which is why they have a combined eight wins on the year.Now the Cowboys and Panthers are set to play with Mike McCarthy’s team clinging to miniscule playoff hopes that could apparently save his job. Here are three things to love about the Cowboys’ Week 15 matchup with the Panthers. Horrible rush defense Brad Penner-Imagn Images If you thought the Cowboys had a bad rushing defense, you haven’t seen the Panthers attempt to stop the run. It’s a defense that ranks dead last in the league against the run, allowing over 170 yards a game on the ground. That’s more than 23 yards worse than the next team, and almost 30 yards worse than the Cowboys, who rank 30th against the run. The Panthers have allowed six running backs to run for over 100 yards this season, and eight to run for at least 80 yards. It’s also a defense that’s surrendered 19 scores on the ground. That should be music to running back Rico Dowdle’s ears. The veteran RB is coming off consecutive 100-yard rushing games, and he had a career high 131 yards in the loss on Monday Night Football. Dowdle and the running game is heating up and now they get a putrid rushing defense to try for a third straight 100-yard outing. The Panthers are giving up an NFL-worst five yards a carry, which should be good news after Dowdle ran for 7.3 ypc last week. The Cowboys will love going up against the worst rushing defenses in the league in Week 15. Lack of receiving weapons Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports The Cowboys played with their top trio of cornerbacks for the first time on the season in Week 14, but they were torched by an elite wide receiver in Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase. Don’t expect a similar problem against the Panthers’ group of receivers, who don’t have anyone nearly as good. Carolina’s passing game is 27th in the league, gaining just under 187 ypg, and their lead WR is rookie Xavier Legette, who has just 39 catches for 432 yards and four scores. Legette has a bright future, but he’s not ready to be the main passing option in an offense. It was Legette’s dropped touchdown last week that cost the Panthers a win and despite his physical tools, he’s not a WR1 yet. The best option for the Panthers is veteran WR Adam Thielen, who’s had two big games after coming back from injury. At 34-years old, Thielen can still find his way open, he’s caught 17 balls for 201 yards and a touchdown since returning, but he’s not the player he once was. After Legette and Thielen, no Panthers WR has more than 26 catches or surpassed 300 yards on the season. Those are the only two legitimate threats at WR for quarterback Bryce Young. At tight end, another rookie, Ja’Tavion Sanders, leads the team with 29 catches for just 302 yards. There aren’t many receiving options to threaten the Cowboys’ defense. After whom they faced last week, the Dallas must love matching up against the Panthers WRs in Week 15. Lacks a pass rush The Panthers’ defense has a problem getting to the QB, they have just 25 sacks on the year, good for 28th in the league. After trading away their best pass rusher in Brian Burns last offseason, the defense had no one else to command attention off the edge, and it’s been a problem. Defensive end A’Shawn Robinson leads the team with 4.5 sacks, which is a career high for him, 2.5 more than his previous best seasons. The next best pass rushers have been linebacker Josey Jewell and veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who both have 3.5 on the year. Not exactly a murderer’s row for the Cowboys’ offensive line to block. The Panthers have been getting more pressure in the last few weeks, but they’re a team who struggles to get after the QB consistently. If the line can give QB Cooper Rush time, the Cowboys should be able to put up points through the air, where the Panthers are next to last in the league in allowing passing touchdowns. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Position battleground (rookies): Cowboys vs. Panthers breakdown for draft picks/UDFAs
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images What’s your opinion on this year’s rookie class for Dallas? Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Guyton First RoundGuyton didn’t play last week with an ankle sprain. He may actually play in this week’s game as he has practiced in full this week, but some comments coming from the organization hint that the chance of him playing this week is remote. Keep a close eye on the inactive list on game day. Grade: 49.2 Marshawn Kneeland Second RoundKneeland was back on the field last week in a limited role. He played 23 snaps and made two tackles. Look for him to continue a rotational role at the moment.Grade: 55.1 Cooper Beebe Third RoundBeebe missed the second half last week and was having a good game up until then. He has already been ruled out this week as he tries to clear concussion protocol. Grade: 64.4 Marist Liufau Third RoundWatching Liufau develop these past few weeks is exciting. Using his speed and burst to come in and create extra pressure on passing downs is fun to watch, and leading the team last week in sacks is a positive stepping stone to him creating a unique role for himself among the Dallas linebackers. He has a tough ask this week though as the Panthers offensive line have allowed the fourth-fewest sacks. Grade: 46.5 Caelen Carson Fifth RoundMoved to Injured ReserveGrade: 39.7 Ryan Flournoy Sixth RoundFlournoy showcased his straight line speed last week as a gunner on special teams. He was great at getting downfield quickly and shutting down return options. Expect much the same from him for now.Grade: 59.4 Brevyn Spann-Ford UDFAFord saw his snap count go down last week with the return of Jake Ferguson. He’s proven to be a good run blocker and as the TE3 that will really be his key role on offense. Other than that his other role on special teams will keep him busy. Grade: 56.7 Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images Carolina Panthers Xavier Legette First RoundIt’s been a tough start for the standout South Carolina receiver. He’s only managed 39 receptions for 432 yards this year, but he’s hampered by a generally poor roster. Having Bryce Young back at quarterback raised his stock a little, but he’s yet to score a touchdown now in five weeks.Grade: 59.5 Jonathon Brooks Second RoundMoved to Injured ReserveGrade: 51.5 Trevin Wallace Third RoundThe young Kentucky linebacker was pushed into a starting role this year due to injury. Now he will miss this week’s game due to a shoulder injury and that creates a huge headache for the Panthers coaching staff as the linebacker position is already thin. Grade: 56.0 Ja’Tavion Sanders Fourth RoundThis Longhorns tight end was never a huge blocker in college but he’s a fast and reliable receiver. This year he has 302 receiving yards and one touchdown, which isn’t bad considering the offense he has to work with. The most receptions he has in a game this season came against Washington where he had six catches. Grade: 55.0 Chau Smith-Wade Fifth RoundAnother player that moved into a starting role due to injury. You’ll find Wade defending the slot primarily on the Panthers defense. He allows a 70% completion rate and is third on defense in penalties. Facing Lamb in the slot will be interesting to watch, especially given the fact that this Panthers defense has given the second-most receiving touchdowns this year. Grade: 53.4 Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
