Panthers at Cowboys summary: score, stats, highlights
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Carolina Panthers 36-28
Cowboys vs Panthers - Game Summary
What an exciting game the Panthers and Cowboys gave us today! The first quarter saw the Boys give us the first points of the game with a Zeke TD. Panthers followed shortly after when Darnold himself ran in the ball for a TD to tie the game. The game is tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Prescott throws it to Jarwin for another Cowboys TD to take the lead yet again. With a penalty giving them close field advanage, the Boys decide to go for 2 instead of kick for the extra point. It looks Schultz catches the ball and the play is ruled as such, but after review, it's ruled that Schultz's knee was down just short of the endzone, overturning the call and making it a 13-7 lead for the Cowboys. It's Darnold again who scores the Panthers second TD of the day, and they kick the extra point to get the lead by one point. The score 14-13 Panthers at the end of the first half.
The Panthers are struggling against the Dallas defense in the second half who are determined to stop the run. They force the Panthers to attempt a field goal and it's no good at 54 yards. Elliott runs the ball again and again for a few first downs before Prescott takes advantage of that excellent field position the Panthers gifted to the Cowboys and throws it into the endzone for a touchdown, caught by Amari Cooper, putting the Cowboys in the lead again. They go with the extra point this time and the Boys are up 20-14. Darnold isn't looking so good at this point and the Cowboys defense is ruthless. After Darnold is sacked, the Cowboys get the ball back and score another easy TD for a 12-point lead. They decide to go for the 2-point conversion again, but they fail to achieve it. They're up 26-14. The game gets even more exciting when Cowboys defensive player Trevon Diggs intercepts Darnold's pass attempt, putting the Cowboys at great field position to score, yet again. And Prescott doesn't fail to deliver, as he passes to Wilson inside the endzone - they kick the extra point to put Dallas in the lead 33-14. It doesn't take long once the Panthers have possession again before Darnold throws a pass which gets intercepted by Diggs AGAIN. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Cowboys are up by 19 points.
At the start of the 4th quarter, Zurlein kicks a field goal to put the Cowboys up by 22 points - 36 to 14. Things are looking good for Dallas at this point, but the Panthers haven't given up and there's still a lot of game to play. The Panthers start making quick plays and running the ball and they get what they set out for when Darnold passes to Moore for a touchdown soon into the 4th quarter to make it a 36-21 game. The Cowboys are looking a little lazy and when the Panthers get possession again, they do it again with a 55-yard by Zylstra and then a touchdown pass to Moore to put the Panthers back in the game with a score of 36-28. Dallas defense steps up and the offense does the job well. Just after the 2-minute warning, Dallas is able to convert on 3rd down to run out the clock and Dallas wins 36-28 against the formerly undefeated Carolina Panthers.
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Seven is a good player. He was just waiting for that second one, and that first one, he was just reading my eyes the whole time and made a good break on it.
What happened to the Panthers?
So what went wrong? Going into this game, the Panthers were looking unstoppable. They were undefeated and they had one of the best defenses in the league. Sure, their last three opponents (Jets, Saints, Texans) aren't the most difficult teams in the league, but still - Carolina didn't look like the strong team everyone was expecting.
Sam Darnold threw two interceptions, both in the third quarter, which were quite costly for the Panthers who were already struggling in the second half. Zane Gonzalez missed a 54-yard field goal. And the Cowboys took complete advantage of those turnovers and good field position to convert into touchdowns.
In the third quarter of the game, the Cowboys put up 20 points to the Panthers' zero. Before today, the Panthers had not allowed even one single point from their opponents in the third quarter.
One thing that very obviously affected the Panthers was the lack of running back Christian McCaffrey on offense and cornerback Jaycee Horn on defense. Chuba Hubbard did well, but he's not the same threat that McCaffrey is, and the difference was noticeable.
It was clear that Darnold wasn't well-protected and was feeling a lot of pressure during the whole game. The poor guy was sacked five times and hit 11 times. We can't blame him for that - that's just poor o-line protection.
But what was really unexpected was the Panthers defense. They couldn't do much to stop running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys ended up with 245 rushing yards by the end of the game. And even after the Panthers brought the lead down to only 8 points, Zeke just kept finding the holes and breaking through for the rush yards. On the final play, Elliott was nearly stopped, but he handed off the ball to Pollard who got the first down for Dallas and ultimately, led to the win.
So for an undefeated Panthers team, we might have to conclude that they are just not at their full potential when playing against actual playoff contenders.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold was sacked 5 times and stopped 11 times in the Panthers loss to the Cowboys. It's safe to say the Cowboys defense has improved just a bit from last year.
Cowboys prove their worth in the NFL with defeat of unbeaten Carolina Panthers
The Cowboys are now 3-1 after their 36-28 defeat over the Panthers. After ending the first half down by a point, the Cowboys blew the game out of the water in the 3rd quarter with an epic comeback and then some.
In the third quarter alone, we saw touchdown passes to Amari Cooper, Dalton Schultz, and Cedrick Wilson. We witnessed a Cowboys defense that wouldn't let Darnold and the Panthers convert on those third downs. And we saw Trevon Diggs pick off TWO interceptions - his fourth and then fifth of the season. With all of that combined, the Cowboys put up 20 points in the third quarter to give them a comfortable lead.
Coming into this game, the Panthers were undefeated. They'd beaten the Jets, Saints, and Texans. But the Cowboys were not so easy, especially after the Panthers lost their best running back (McCaffrey) to a hamstring injury.
The Panthers also led the NFL in sacks before this game, but it was the Cowboys who saw the most sacks today. The Boys had two sacks from Randy Gregory and one from Tarrell Basham, Chauncey Golston, and Micah Parsons. Meanwhile, the Panthers failed to sack Dak even once and the Cowboys ran for 245 yards.
The Cowboys BEAT the Panthers to ruin their winning streak
Prescott takes the knee again and it is a COWBOYS WIN against the no-longer undefeated Panthers!!
Prescott takes the knee and they'll run out the clock
Pollard gets the FIRST DOWN!!!!!
If Dallas can get the first down here, they've basically got the game
Two-minute warning
Pass complete to Schultz who comes up short of the first down
Panthers have no more TOs and cannot stop the clock - almost to the 2-minute warning
Elliott runs it for a single yard - 2nd and 9
Penalty on Panthers - Defensive Too Many Men on Field - 5 yards
Elliott runs it for 8 yards - short of the first down
Pollard runs it for 18 yards and a Cowboys first down
Gonzalez kicks 60 yards from Carolina 35 to Dallas 5 - Pollard to Dallas 19 for 14 yards
Panthers aren't going to lay down without a fight
Gonzalez extra point is GOOD! Panthers are back in the game!
Darnold pass COMPLETE to Moore for a TOUCHDOWN
Darnold pass incomplete short left to Erickson. Penalty on Dallas Wright - Illegal Use of Hands - 5 yards
Where is Diggs??
Darnold pass COMLPETE to Zylstra who runs it for 55 yards!!
Darnold overthrows for an incomplete pass to Anderson - brings them to 4th down
Penalty on Panthers - Delay of Game - 5-yard penalty brings them to 3rd and 8
Darnold scrambles for 7 yards - pushed out of bounds tat the 37 - 3rd and 3
Darnold pass incompete to Anderson - ALMOST intercepted by Brown
Darnold pass to Thomas for the first down
Darnold pass complete to Smith for 5 yards - 2nd and 5
Anger punts 63 yards into the end zone - Touchback
Penalty on Dallas - False Start - 5 yards
Prescott pass incomplete to Lamb
Elliott again for just 2 yards - 3rd and 3
Elliott up the middle again for 5 yards this time - 2nd and 5
Elliott up the middle for 10 yards and a Cowboys first down
Gonzalez kicks 65 yards from Carolina 35 to end zone - Touchback
Panthers get another TD to try to stay in the game after a brutal second half start
Gonzalez extra point is GOOD to put the game at 36-21 Cowboys
Panthers trying to stay in the game and Moore gets them the TD
Darnold pass COMPLETE to Moore for a Panthers TOUCHDOWN
Darnold pass complete to Zylstra for 8 yards - 2nd and 2
Darnold pass complete to Anderson for 13 yards - first down Panthers
Darnold pass complete to Smith for the first down
Darnold pass complete to Smith - second down
Darnold pass to Hubbard - first down
Penalty - Personal Foul - Unnecessary Roughness - 15-yard penalty
Darnold pass incomplete to Tremble as he's hit hard by Kazee - flag on the play
Panthers take first timeout of the half
Freeman handoff successful for the first down
Panthers will go for it on 4th and 1
Darnold pass complete to Marshall - tackled just short of the first down
Darnold pass complete to Smith for 15 yards - 3rd down and 3
That's the FIFTH sack of the day for the 'boys
Darnold SACKED for a LOSS of 8 yards
Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback.
Cowboys are up with a 22-point lead
Zurlein 37-yard FG is GOOD! Cowboys up by 22
The ruling on the field stands - no gain - Dallas loses a timeout and Cowboys will kick a field goal
McCarthy challenges the spot on the last play
End of the third quarter
Elliott up the middle - no gain - 4th ad 1
Pollard tackled for no gain - 3rd and 1
Pollard runs it for 14 yards! 2nd and 1
Penalty - false start on offense - Sprinkle - 5 yards
Darnold pass INTERCEPTED by Diggs AGAIN!!!
Darnold pass incomplete to Anderson - stopped by Brown with an undercut - brings the Panthers to 3rd down
Hubbard runs it for a gain of 7 - 2nd and 3
Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback
Dallas in the lead by 3 TDs now
Extra point is GOOD! Cowboys are up 33-14
Turnovers putting Dallas in the lead once again - just like last week!
Prescott pass COMPLETE to Wilson inside the endzone - TOUCHDOWN DALLAS!
Pollard is tackled for no gain - 2nd and 10
Elliott gets the FIRST DOWN inside the 25!
Darnold pass INTERCEPTED by Diggs!!
Carolina uses their second TO
Hubbard up the middle but he is tackled for a LOSS of 2 yards by Kearse
Darnold pass to Hubbard for 7 yards - 2nd and 3
Moore runs it for 6 yards - the Panthers get the first down
Panthers take 1st timeout of the second half - looks like they'll go for it on 4th and 1 in Carolina territory
Darnold up the middle for NO gain - 4th and 1
Darnold pass short to Anderson - ran out of bounds at the 34 for 9 yards - 3rd and 1
Darnold pass incomplete to Moore - 2nd and 10
Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback
The Cowboys take the lead by two TDs in the third quarter
Cowboys go for the 2-point conversion and they don't get it
Prescott pass to Schultz who waltzes on in to the endzone for another COWBOYS TOUCHDOWN!
Elliott pushes up the middle and he is going going GONE for 47 yards just inside the 10!
Prescott pass complete to Lamb again for a first down
Prescott pass complete to Lamb for his first catch of the day - 2nd and 4
Sam Darnold has gone into the injury tent
Charlton punts 44 yards - fair catch by Wilson
Cowboys get the ball back
Darnold SACKED by Golston for a LOSS of 6 yards
Darnold pass incomplete to Marshall - good defense by Cowboys - 3rd and 7
Hubbard runs it for a 3-yard gain - 2nd and 7
Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback
Cowboys take the lead with a deep pass to Amari Cooper in the endzone
Extra point is GOOD to put the Cowboys up 20-14!
Prescott throws deep and it is CAUGHT in the endzone by Cooper!!
Elliott again pushes through for a Cowboys first down!
Elliott again for a 5-yard run - 2nd and 5
Elliott great run for 11 yards and a Cowboys first down!
Cowboys will take over in great field position
Panthers attempt a 54-yard field goal and it is NO GOOD
Darnold pass incomplete to Moore - 4th and 7
Darnold pass incomplete to Marshall - 3rd and 7
Anderson runs it for a 3-yard gain - 2nd and 7
Darnold pass complete to Moore who runs it 39 yards!
Offensive penalty - holding - Panthers Dennis Daley - 10 yards
Second half begins! Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback.
Why did Mike McCarthy decline that penalty?
In the first half of the game, Cowboys coach McCarthy made a questionable decision to decline a penalty on the Panthers . He chose 3rd and 12 at the Panthers 23 instead of 2nd and 23 at the Panthers 12. If it weren't for that decision, we probably wouldn't have seen that Darnold TD. What's up, McCarthy? You got some 'splainin to do.
Will the Panthers keep their undefeated status? It's a close game at the half - still lots of game left to play!
Panthers are up by 1 point at the half!
And that's halftime!
Freeman up the middle but is tackled at the 11 - 3rd and 11
3rd timeout called by Dallas
Darnold is SACKED for a LOSS of 7 yards
Anger punts 36 yards - fair catch by Erickson
Carolina has all 3 timeouts with 55 seconds left in the half
Another incomplete pass from Prescott to Jarwin for 4th and 10
Prescott pass incomplete to Lamb - pass was tipped - 3rd and 10
Prescott short pass to Elliott - incomplete
Prescott pass complete to Cooper - 20 yards - Dallas first down!
Charlton punts 43 yards to Dallas 32 - fair catch by Lamb
Second Dallas timeout
Darnold pass short right to Thomas for 9 yards
First timeout by Dallas
Darnold is SACKED by Gregory - Panthers 3rd and 14
2-minute warning
Hubbard runs it up for 2 yards
Darnold pass short to Anderson for 5 yards - first down Panthers
Darnold pass complete to Moore for 8 yards - 3rd and 4
Hubbard gets swarmed for negative 2 yards - penalty on Carolina - Offensive Holding - declined - 2nd down
Anger punts 40 yards to Carolina 9 - fair catch by Erickson
Cowboys decide not to go for it on 4th and 3
Prescott pass incomplete short left to Jarwin
Elliott runs it for a 1-yard gain
Elliott runs the ball up the middle for a 6-yard gain - 2nd and 4
Prescott pass complete to Wilson for a Dallas FIRST DOWN
Panthers Thompson was injured during the play - return is Questionable
Prescott pass short to Schultz for 4 yards
Prescott pass incomplete short to Lamb. Penalty on Carolina Jackson - Defensive Pass Interference, 6 yards
Gonzalez kicks 65 yards from Carolina 35 to end zone - Touchback.
Panthers have taken the lead in the second quarter
Extra point is good and Panthers are UP 14-13
Second TD of the day for Darnold to tie up the game
Darnold RUNS it in for a Panthers TOUCHDOWN!
Darnold pass complete to Thomas who is quickly tackled by Smith - 2nd and 9
Darnold pass short right to Smith pushed out of bounds for 17 yards.
Penalty on Dallas Diggs - Defensive Holding, declined
Darnold pass complete to Moore - Panthers first down
Darnold pass complete to Anderson for 6 yards - 2nd and 5
Freeman runs it for 4 yards - first down
Hubbard left end to Dallas 44 for 7 yards
Darnold scrambles up the middlfor 14 yards - Panthers first down!
Darnold deep pass incomplete - 3rd and 11
Hubbard runs the ball but is tackled QUICK by Kearse for a negative yard
Darnold deep pass complete Anderson for a Panthers first down
Penalty on Carolina - facemask - 15 yards
Darnold deep pass to Anderson caught but out of bounds
Darnold pass short right to Hubbard for 3 yards - clobbered by Brown!
Penalty on Panthers - False Start, 5 yards
Zuerlein kicks 65 yards from Dallas 35 to end zone - Touchback.
Score was reviewed and they've ruled that Schultz's knee was down SHORT of the endzone - 2-point conversion overturned.
Cowboys only up by 6
Dallas is up by 8!
The Cowboys make the two-point conversion just barely with a catch by Schultz!
The Cowboys will go for 2!!!
Flags thrown - defensive penalty - 12 men on the field
Cowboys take the lead!
Prescott throws complete to Jarwin who runs it in for a Cowboys TOUCHDOWN!!
Prescott throws deep to Cooper for a Dallas FIRST DOWN
And that's the end of the first quarter! 7-7 tied game
Elliott to Carolina 32 for 1 yard
Cowboys go for it on fourth down and Prescott RUNS IT for 21 yards!!!
Pollard is STOPPED hard to put Cowboys at 4th and 2
Prescott pass short right to Schultz for 10 yards - it's fumbled and Panthers recover it, but ruling is that there was forward progress - the play is not reviewable - the ball stays with Dallas (lucky break)!
Pollard runs the ball, but doesn't make it too far - 4-yard gain
False start Cowboys - 5-yard penalty
The call is that Schultz WAS down - call overturned - pass COMPLETE to Schultz for a gain of 12 yards
The ruling on the field is that it's a turnover - the call is being reviewed
Prescott pass complete to Schultz but he fumbles and it's recovered by Carolina - debate if he was down or not before the fumble
Prescott pass incomplete to Lamb
Extra point is good to tie the game 7-7!
Darnold runs the ball in for the Panthers first TOUCHDOWN!
Darnold pass complete to Moore again - out of bounds just short of the endzone
Shotgun to Hubbard stopped and pushed back for a negative yard
Darnold pass complete to Moore who goes down but then back up to run it for 29 yards!
Darnold up the middle to Dallas 38 for 2 yards
Darnold throws to Moore for a one-handed catch after pressure and Moore runs it out of bounds - second and 1
Hubbard gains 12 yards for another Panthers first down
Darnold throws deep pass and it's incomplete
Hubbard runs the ball up the middle for a Panthers first down
Extra point is GOOD! Cowboys up 7-0 in the first quarter
Elliott runs the ball through for a Cowboys TOUCHDOWN!
Precott pass incomplete to Schultz
Pollard tackled just short of the endzone - 2nd and goal
Pollard pushes through for 5 yards - first and goal!
Elliott pushes through up the middle for 7 yards - 2nd and 3
Prescott to Schultz for another Cowboys first down
Elliott runs through a big hole for a first down
Prescott loses the ball but picks it right back up and scrambles to pick up 15 yards
Penalty on Dallas -Schultz - Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards - no play - 1st and 20
Prescott throws - caught by Brown - flag on the play
Elliott breaks through for 14 yard run and a Cowboys first down!
Penalty is on Dallas - Defensive offsides on Goodwin - 5 yard penalty, enforced at Dallas 35
Punt return for fair catch by Ceedee Lamb - flag on the play
Cowboys put on the pressure and Darnold is sacked!
Darnold pass incomplete to Anderson
Hubbard right tackle to the 24 for 4 yards
Anger punts 51 yards to McQuaide, fair catch by Erickson
Panthers blitz and Prescott's pass is incomplete
Elliott for a short gain for third and 6
Prescott goes down and loses the ball, but Elliott retrieves it and the Cowboys end up gaining some yards!
Game has kicked off and Prescott will come in to start the game!
Carolina has won the toss and elected to defer
Two minutes away from kickoff at the AT&T stadium!
The Undefeated Carolina Panthers take on the Dallas Cowboys
The Panthers have yet to lose a game in the first three weeks of the NFL regular season. They've been fortunate to have started off with a relatively easy three games. The Cowboys lost their season opener, but it was a close game against the defending Super Bowl champs, and they've won their next two since against the Eagles and Chargers.
Sam Darnold has impressed with the Panthers as he has already accumulated over 300 passing yards in back-to-back games for a total of 888 yards as well as a three to one touchdown to interception ratio this season.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, they lost star running back Christian McCaffrey last week, and he'll be out at least a few weeks with a hamstring injury. They'll be leaning on RB Chuba Hubbard against the Cowboys.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is not failing to impress either. He's got 878 passing yards and a six to two touchdown to interception ratio. He's got the Cowboys star RB by his side too. Ezekiel Elliot had his season-best performance last week with 95 yards. The Panthers defense is strong, so this will be a tough matchup.