The Cowboys won by a score of 36-28.
Is there anything that can not be moved? Take a look at this irresistible force, shall we?
Dallas entered this matchup on a two-game winning run,
but Dak Prescott and the rest of the Cowboys would have their work cut out for them against the league’s top-ranked defense in terms of yards allowed and points surrendered.
That was a waste of time. The Cowboys dominated in front of a raucous home crowd, winning 36-28 to send a strong message that they are a legitimate playoff contender.
To put it another way, Dallas had a 20-7 halftime lead over the Eagles last week, and they never looked back. To make matters worse this week, the Panthers battled hard against the Cowboys in the first half, only to have Dallas score 23 consecutive points in the second half to take control.
Prescott threw three touchdown passes in the third quarter alone, becoming the first Cowboys quarterback since Tony Romo on September 30, 2007, to deliver three or more touchdown passes in a single quarter versus St. Louis. Prescott had only 188 passing yards and completed 14 of 22 passes, but he delivered four touchdown passes for a passer rating of 130.3 in the last quarter of the game.
Instead, the ground game served as the offensive engine. The Cowboys rushed for 245 yards behind Ezekiel Elliott’s 143 rushing yards, which ranks eighth in his career. Prescott threw in 35 and Tony Pollard added 67 more runs.
While the Cowboys’ offense may have gotten all the attention, don’t overlook the Dallas defense’s efforts as well. Two sacks from Randy Gregory and four quarterback hits from Trevon Diggs were the team’s best efforts, with Diggs adding two more interceptions to his tally. Freshmen Chauncey Golston and Osa Odighizuwa each had a sack, while Micah Parsons also had a sack. They all played well together.
in the first three months of the year.
For the first time in the game, the Cowboys’ big men up front opted to get to work on their second drive. A nine-play Dallas drive that featured a 15-yard Prescott scramble saw the ball carried eight times. Elliott ran hard and fast for 35 yards on four carries
the final of which was a 1-yard run into the end zone for the game’s first scores.
In the lead-up to the game, Carolina’s defense had been surrendering just 45 yards per game. Dallas rushed for 66 yards in the first seven and a half minutes of the game.
The Panthers, on the other hand, swiftly retaliated by cruising down the field on their ensuing possession. After connecting three times with wide receiver D.J. Moore for a combined 47 yards, quarterback Sam Darnold ran inside on an option for a 1-yard score to tie the game.
In the second three-month period,
The pinnacle Blake Jarwin’s 18-yard touchdown catch capped a drive that began late in the first quarter and put him in the end zone for the first time this season. Of course, the Cowboys were fortunate in that Dalton Schultz fumbled twice throughout the series but was never called down before losing the ball. Unfortunately, Schultz’s good fortune ran out as he was ruled down before he could complete the two-point conversion, leaving Dallas with a 13-7 advantage.
On the Panthers’ ensuing possession, the Cowboys’ defense simply couldn’t get off the field. During their offensive march, the visitors faced third-and-12 and third-and-11, but converted both for first downs. As a result, Darnold ran 11 yards up the middle for a touchdown on a quarterback draw. Carolina took the lead for the first time with the extra point, and the lead lasted until halftime.
The third quarter of the year
The Cowboys, on the other hand, took control of the game less than five minutes into the second half. A touchdown in the third quarter sealed their victory.
Dallas had solid field position at its own 44-yard line after the Panthers missed a 54-yard field goal on their first possession of the third quarter. After just four plays, the home team had crossed the goal line.
Elliott ran three times for a total of 21 yards against the defense before Prescott found wide receiver Amari Cooper along the right sideline for a 35-yard touchdown catch under heavy coverage.
Dallas only needed four plays in the next game of the series to take the lead. Although Schultz scored the game’s only touchdown, Elliott once again carried the load. This was his third-longest run of his career and his longest since breaking off a 55-yarder against Detroit on Dec. 26, 2016, when he blasted through the line of scrimmage and sprinted to the Carolina 6-yard line. However, despite the missed two-point attempt, the Cowboys were still ahead by two possessions, 26-14.
Afterwards, Trevon Diggs did what Trevon Diggs does best: he intercepted passes in each of the Panthers’ next two series, his second career game with more than one pick-six. Diggs has now intercepted five passes in his last four games, making him just the second player in franchise history (and the 17th overall since the NFL merger) to do so.
With the first one, the ball was thrown to Cedrick Wilson for a touchdown and he took advantage of a nice spin move to get there.
The 14th month
A few plays after Diggs’ second pick, the Cowboys were on their way inside of the Carolina 20-yard line
when Greg Zuerlein kicked a 37-yard field goal on his second shot inside of the final frame. Dallas now leads 36-14 as he easily split the uprights.
Things began to get intriguing at this point. Carolina rallied from a 14-point hole to cut the Cowboys’ lead to eight points, 36-28, just as the game appeared to be wrapping up.
With a 10-play, 75-yard march to the Panthers’ end zone,
Darnold completed a 6-yard pass to tight end Ian Thomas for a score to put his team up for good.
Afterwards, the visitors added another touchdown with just over four and a half minutes left on the clock thanks to a seven-play, 80-yard series with a Darnold pass to Moore from 8 yards out.
However, with the Panthers out of timeouts, the Cowboys put the game away when offensive coordinator Kellen Moore called up the perfect play on third-and-1 at the Carolina 41-yard line. The Cowboys’ quarterback threw the ball off to Elliott,
who was unable to get around the blocked right end and instead pitched the ball to Pollard,
who gained the first down and the victory.
also source:
Game Recap: Cowboys Pull Away For 36-28 Win
