Panthers make statement vs. Dallas
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – For Panthers fans, replacing the NFL shield with the team’s fanged black-and-blue logo at the 50-yard line in Bank of America Stadium has symbolic weight. It was something new owner David Tepper had promised, and given the scandalridden end to the Jerry Richardson era, it was at the very least a tangible representation of the Panthers’ fresh start.
Tepper’s first game as owner yielded something else: A 16-8 victory over the Cowboys in which Carolina’s highly regarded defense was as advertised.
Carolina held Dallas to 60 yards in the first half and 232 for the game. The Panthers didn’t generate a lot of sustained drives themselves.
But they were able to grab a lead 8:50 before halftime, tak- ing advantage of a 30-yard punt return by Damiere Byrd that put them at the Dallas 35. Christian McCaffrey, who had fumbled away a red-zone scoring opportunity in the first quarter, came back strong with four carries covering 26 yards, setting up quarterback Cam Newton’s 4-yard touchdown run. Carolina then added a field goal for a 10-0 lead. It never felt as if Dallas, which didn’t cross
midfield in the first half, had enough offensive punch.
Other things we learned from Cowboys-Panthers:
Cam leads the way: Though he didn’t put up splashy numbers, Newton seemed totally in command of what was going on and had very few mistakes to nitpick. He finished 17 of 26 passing and was Carolina’s leading rusher with 58 yards on 13 carries. Prescott/Elliott combo si
lent: The Cowboys are banking a lot of their future on the potential of quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott. After an ineffective first half, Elliott (15 carries, 69 yards) finally got loose in the fourth quarter, scoring the Cowboys’ TD with 8:51 remaining. Then Prescott (19-for-29, 170 yards) converted the twopoint conversion, running it in from an empty backfield that had the defense spread out.