Panthers saddle up, send Cowboys to Dallas with a loss

TROY HULL | THE CHARLOTTE POST

After shredding the Miami Dolphins for 206 yards rushing on 23 carries in his first start as a Carolina Panther, running back Rico Dowdell plowed through the Dallas Cowboys for 183 yards on 30 carries in a 30-27 win.

The Carolina Panthers improved to 3-3 and 3-0 at home with a walk-off 30-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys. 

There were plenty of takeaways from the game, so here are five of them:

1. Rico Dowdle should be Carolina’s RB1

In the absence of starting running back Chuba Hubbard, former Cowboy Rico Dowdle has made the most of his opportunities. 

Dowdle ran for 206 yards on 23 carries in his first Carolina start against Miami and proceeded to follow it up with 183 yards on 30 carries against his former squad. There were many instances where it appeared the Cowboys had no answer for Dowdle. 

Along with the rushing outburst, Dowdle added 56 yards receiving on four receptions that included a touchdown pass. 
This is no slight on Hubbard and the production he has given the Panthers, but it is not going to be an easy decision to hand starting duties back to him, knowing that there’s a bell cow tailback in Dowdle. 

2. Jerry Jones is… to be polite, CRAZY for not re-signing Micah Parsons

When you have the chance to sign one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, you do it. This apparently didn’t cross Cowboys’ owner Jones’ mind in the offseason. He is on record as saying the franchise looked to shore up the run defense by getting rid of Parsons in the trade with the Green Bay Packers. 

Not only are they not stopping the run much better (giving up over 120 yards per game on the ground on average), but they also can’t get pressure on the quarterback with any type of consistency, either, something Parsons did. 

Dallas had one sack on Panthers’ quarterback Bryce Young — and it was a coverage sack at that. It is a pretty sure thing that you aren’t going to be very efficient on defense if you don’t limit the run and allow opposing quarterbacks all the time they need in the pocket. 

3. Dallas’ offense is scary good, and they aren’t at full strength

While the Cowboys’ defense may have more holes in it than Swiss cheese, the offense can be one of the best in the NFL. 

Dallas is without the services of star receiver CeeDee Lamb, who had over 100 yards receiving the first two games of the season before getting hurt in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys are also without KaVonte Turpin, a serviceable receiver and kick return specialist. 

In Lamb’s absence, first-year Cowboy George Pickens has been all they could have hoped he would be when they got him in the offseason. Pickens carved up the Panthers with nine catches in 11 targets for 168 yards and a touchdown. 

While the Panthers were able to stymie the Cowboys’ ground attack, in large part it has been efficient. Tailback Javonte Williams, who signed with Dallas after a stint with the Denver Broncos, has 79 carries for 447 yards and five touchdowns. 

The pieces are there for Dallas to have a stout offense, but they may have to score 40 points to win.

4. Tetairoa McMillan is a bonafide WR1 

McMillan didn’t fill the stat sheet against Dallas, but he hauled in three catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns, his first in the NFL. 

The rookie has 27 catches this season and over 60 yards receiving in three of the Panthers’ six games and poses a threat to defensive backs. His athleticism is really eye-opening, and it appears the Panthers have finally hit on a first-round draft pick. 

I think McMillan’s best asset is his ability to draw the attention of extra defenders. The Cowboys defense appeared to shield their coverage to help eliminate the deep pass to McMillan, leaving options like Hunter Renfrow, Tommy Tremble and rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. open underneath. This will continue to make the Panthers’ offense more efficient.

5. Neither Dallas nor Carolina look like playoff teams

The Panthers at 3-3 and Dallas at 2-3-1 both are far from the postseason discussion. 

But there is a lot of football left, and Carolina has the luxury of being in the NFC South where other than Tampa Bay, no one else is very good. This bodes well for the Panthers down the road if they can continue to pile on wins.

Dallas, being in the NFC East, may have a tougher road. Although the Philadelphia Eagles haven’t looked like the last season’s Super Bowl champions to this point, at 4-2 they lead the division and beat Dallas in Week 1. The New York Giants have already fallen to the Cowboys in the first of two meetings, which was before the Giants moved former Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson to QB2 in favor of rookie Jaxson Dart.

The Giants are 2-1 since.

The Washington Commanders are 3-2 going into Monday Night’s game against Chicago but got quarterback Jayden Daniels back after missing two weeks with an injury. The NFC East is wide open, but top to bottom the quality is better than the NFC South. 

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