Cowboys 30 vs 14 Panthers, summary: score, stats, highlights | NFL Week 15

Panthers fall 30-14 to Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Carolina Panthers 30-14 on Sunday to officially eliminate them from playoff contention.

It was the Panthers' fourth straight loss and a disappointing one from a team that only narrowly missed upsetting three playoff teams in a row and was feeling good about themselves entering the game. The Cowboys were at 5-8 entering the game and reeling from a disappointing loss to the Cincinnati Bengals the week before, but they came back with something to prove as the Dallas defense caused enough turnovers to make it impossible for Carolina to come back. 

Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush finished the game 18-of-29 for 214 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions.  He was sacked only once for a loss of 15 yards. He spread the ball around to all his receivers with CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, and Jalen Brooks all notching a score. Running back Rico Dowdle had his third game with 100+ yards, finishing with 25 carries for 149 yards.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young finished 19-of-28 for 219 yards and one passing touchdown to Jalen Coker for 83 yards, two interceptions, and one rushing touchdown. He was sacked six times for a total of 44 yards lost.

The Dallas defense finished with 49 total tackles, seven for a loss, six sacks, and 10 quarterback hits. Micah Parsons was responsible for two of the sacks, and Chauncey Golston, Osa Odighizuwa, Carl Lawson, and Jourdan Lewis all contributed one. 

The Cowboys will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home next week for Sunday Night Football. The Panthers will face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at home at 1 p.m. ET.

Young's third rushing TD this season

In the final quarter, Young ran in a 6-yard TD himself to cut the deficit and make it a 27-14 game. Eventually, Aubrey scored another field goal and the Panthers' turnovers proved too costly. 

The Cowboys beat the Panthers 30-14.

Brooks TD

Not long after the Jalen Tolbert TD, Rush made a TD pass to the other WR Jalen - Brooks. The 17-yard score put the Cowboys up 24-7 in the 3rd quarter.

Tolbert TD

Rush was able to convert that into a TD with an 11-yard pass WR Jalen Tolbert in the end zone.

To start the second half, Young got sacked by Osa Odighizuwa and then fumbled it to allow Cowboys' Chauncey Golston to recover it and give Dallas the ball again.

Aubrey's failed 70-yard attempt

Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey will be the guy to eventually break the NFL record and make it from 70 yards, but today was not that day.

Rush fumble + 83-yard TD by Coker

Cowboys QB Cooper Rush fumbled the ball when the tip of it hit RB Rico Dowdle's leg? It was recovered by the Panthers and on their first drive, Young threw the ball to rookie WR Jalen Coker, who proceeded to run it 83 yards back iinto the end zone. 

This all happened at the end of the 1st quarter. The Cowboys were about to make it a 17-0 game in the red zone, but the turnover resulted in the Panthers making it a 3-point game instead. 

Aubrey's 52-yarder

Aubrey's first field goal today was from 52 yards - he has now made 11 field goals from 50+ yards this season

Young's first interception...

In the first quarter, Young threw this interception, caught by Eric Kendricks

CeeDee TD

That turnover resulted in a touchdown by Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb. The 14-yard score helped him hit 1,000 receptions for the fourth straight season.

Young jukes Parsons only for this to happen...

Panthers QB Bryce Young pulled a spin move to avoid a sack by LB Micah Parsons only to fumble the ball for a turnover. 

Now it's time for the highlights of the game...

END GAME - COWBOYS BEAT PANTHERS

Rush takes the knee to run out the clock and that'll do it. The Cowboys beat the Panthers 30-14 to rise to 6-8 and Panthers fall to 3-11.

Elliott picks up 4 yards for the 1st down

Rush FUMBLES but recovers it at the 44 for a loss of a yard - 3rd and 3

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

That takes us to the final 2-minute warning.

Dallas has the ball at 2nd and 2 at the Panthers 43 and leads by 16 points.

Dowdle picks up another 8 yards - 2nd and 2

Dowdle pushes through for 11 yards and the 1st down at the Cowboys 49

Panthers take final timeout

And it's Elliott again and he gets 3 - 2nd and 7

Elliott picks up 5 for the 1st down

Panthers take second timeout

Elliott takes it again, gets just 3 yards - 3rd and 5

Panthers take first timeout

Dallas takes over at the 25 and Elliott runs it up 3 yards - 2nd and 8

Young's pass INTERCEPTED by Mukuamu  and he takes off 15 yards to the 25

Young pass incomplete, broken up by Booth - 3rd and 10

Young pass incomplete to Sanders - 2nd and 10

Young pass incomplete to Coker, but an Offsides on Cowboys' Lawson gives Panthers ANOTHER 5 yards - 1st and 10 at the Cowboys 48

Neutral Zone Infraction on Cowboys' Parsons - 5 yards, 1st and 5

Young's pass to Hubbard was incomplete, but Cowboys' Liufau was called for Holding - 5 yards, automatic 1st down for Carolina

Young SACKED by Lawson for a loss of 12 yards - 3rd and 15

Young pass caught by Tremble for 8 yards - 2nd and 3

Cowboys' Lewis was injured on the play

Young pass to Moore is caught and he picks up 16yards - 1st down

Aubrey kicks to the end zone - Touchback to the Panthers 30

Aubrey makes his third fieldgoal, this one from 41yards to extend Dallas' lead with 6:09 left to play.

COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!

Rush pass incomplete to Lamb - 4th and 2

Dowdle runs up for another 4 - 3rd and 2

Dowdle picks up 4 - 2nd and 6

Dowdle pushes through for another 8 - 1st down

Dowdle picks up 7 yards - 2nd and 3

Hekker punts to the 15 and Turpin returns it 24 yards to the 39

Panthers are called for Unnecessary Roughness on Franklin, 15 yards - 1st down at the 46

Young runs the ball in himself for a 6-yard rushing touchdown. Pineiro's PAT is good and the Panthers cut the deficit with 9:13 left to play in the game.

Young pass incomplete with Odighizuwa applying the pressure, 2nd and goal

FalseStart on Panthers' Hunt - 1st and goal from the 6 now

Young pass incomplete to Moore, but Cowboys' Bland is called for Pass Interference, 5 yards - 1st and goal at the 1

Panthers go for it on 4th and 17 and it's incomplete, but Dallas gets called for Pass Interference on Booth, giving Panthers an automatic 1st down anyway

Personal Foul, Roughing the Passer on Booth is declined

Cowboys take first timeout

Young SACKED by Parsons for a loss of 2 and he FUMBLES, but Panthers recover it - 4th and 14

False Start on Panthers' Thielen, 5 yards - 3rd and 12

Young escapes pressure, gets rid of the ball, but the pass is incomplete - 3rd and 7

Young pass complete to Moore for 3 yards - 2nd and 7

Neutral Zone Infraction on Cowboys' Parsons, 5 yards, gives Panthers the automatic 1st down

Young pass to Coker for 8 yards - 2nd and 2

Panthers go for it on 4th down and they make the completion on a Young pass to Thielen for 18 yards 

Hubbard stopped by Odighizuwa after 2 yards - 4th and 7

Young escapes pressure from Parsons, makes the pass to Coker who catches it but has a foot out of bounds - incomplete, 3rd and 9

Young pass to Hubbard but he gets just a yard, swallowed up by Liufau and Golston - 2nd and 9

Hubbard picks up 8 more - 1st down

Young pass to Tremble for 7 yards - 2nd and 3

Aubrey kicks to the end zone- Touchback to the Panthers 30

Cowboys' penalties keep them too far away from the end zone, but Aubey makes the 45-yard field goal to make it a 20-point lead for Dallas with 14:12 left in the game.

COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!

Rush pass batted by Wonnum, incomplete - 4th and 17 at the Panthers 27

Dowdle gets just 3 yards, tackled by Clowney - 3rd and 17

Cowboys called for Offensive Too Many Men on Field, 5 yards - 2nd and 20

Cowboys' Bass was injured on the play

Rush throws low to Lamb, incomplete - 2nd and 15

END 3RD QUARTER

The clock winds down to take us to the end of the 3rd quarter.

After the penalty, Dallas has the ball at the Panthers 25 at 1st and 15.

False Start on Cowboys' Bass, 5 yards - 1st and 15

Turpin carries it up 11 yards and another 1st down for Dallas

Dowdle picks up another 12 on the next run - 1st down at the Panthers 31

Rush pass caught by Cooks for 12  yards - 1st down

Dowdle took it up a 4 yards and the ball came loose. Panthers players tried to fall on it but tossed it backwards and Tolbert fell on it to recover it. 

Turns out Dowdle was actually down by contact, so it's 2nd and 6 for the Cowboys.

Rush tosses it low to Elliott and he bobbles it but makes the catch and runs for 11 yards and the 1st down

Elliott picks up 3 yards - 2nd and 7

Hekker punts to the Cowboys 27 and it's downed by Franks

Young SACKED again, this time by Lewis for a loss of 10 yards - 4th and 21

Young pass complete to Thielen for 8 - 3rd and 11

Young SACKED by Parsons for a loss of 9 yards - 2nd and 19 

Aubrey kicks to the Panthers 3 and Thompkins takes it up 38 yards to the 31

CeeDee Lamb came out of the game. Rush made the touchdown pass to WR Jalen Brooks in the end zone for 17 yards. Aubrey's PAT was good and Cowboys extend the lead yet again with just under 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Rush pass to Lamb for 11 yards and another 1st dowb

Rush pass caught by Cooks for 18 yards and another 1st down at the 28

Dowdle breaks through for 10 yards and a 1st down

Dowdle picks up 6, 2nd and 4

Rush hands it off to Turpin and he takes off for 16 yards, 1st down

Hekker punts to the Cowboys 20 and Turpin calls for the fair catch

Young pass to Thielen is good for 16 yards - 4th and 4 at the Panthers 36

False Start on Panthers' Thompkins, 5 yards - 3rd and 20

Young SACKED by Odighizuwa and Golston for a loss of 6 yards - 3rd and 15

Odighizuwa stops Hubbard after a yard - 2nd and 9

Aubrey kicks to the end zone - Touchback to Panthers 30

Rush made the 11-yard pass to Tolbert in the end zone for the touchdown. Aubrey's PAT was good and the Cowboys take the lead to start the second half with 13:46 left in the 3rd quarter.

Dowdle picks up 5 yards - 2nd and 5

Elliott takes it up4 yards for the 1st down

Officials originally called it a fumble, but it was overturned - Dallas is at 3rd and 1

Dowdle pushes through for 5 yards just short of the 1st down

Panthers were saying the ball came loose, but it looks like he was already down when that happened

Dallas takes over at the 39

Dowdle takes it up 4 yards - 2nd and 6

Young SACKED by Odighizuwa and FUMBLES it, RECOVERED BY DALLAS (Golston)

We're back!

And we are back to start the second half.

The Panthers get the ball on offense to start. Aubrey kicked to the Panthers 0 and Thompkins ran it to the 33

HALFTIME

That takes us to the end of the first half.

The Cowboys had a 10-0 lead and were looking to make it 17-0 with just 45 seconds left in the first half. Instead, Cooper Rush fumbled when the tip of the football hit RB Rico Dowdle's thigh. The Panthers recovered it and Bryce Young made a pass to rookie WR Jalen Coker, who immediately ran it 83 yards into the end zone for a TD. Aubrey wasn't able to make a 70-yard field goal to end the half, so the game is now at 10-7 at halftime.

Thompkins caught the ball and ran it 37 yards before he was stopped and time ran out. 

Aubrey tries for a 70-yard field goal and it is NO GOOD

Rush spikes it to stop the clock - 3rd and 1

Rush scrambles up for 9 yards - 2nd and 1

Panthers take second timeout

Cowboys take final timeout

Rush pass caught by Lamb and he takes it up 15 yards to the Panthers 39

Cowboys take second timeout

Rush pass incomplete, batted down by Clowney - 2nd and 10

Hekker punts it to the 1 and Turpin goes for the return 23 yards. There was a big scuffle on the sidelines following his going out of bounds. 

The Panthers got the ball back after Rush fumbled and on their first play, Young made the pass to rookie Coker who ran it 83 yards into the end zone for the touchdown. Pineiro's PAT makes it a 3-point game just 31 seconds before halftime.

Rush FUMBLES it and it's RECOVERED BY PANTHERS (Johnson) at the 17

Panthers take first timeout

Another Panther, Cherelus, injured on the play 

Rush pass to Ferguson is caught and he pushes up for 19 yards just short - 3rd and 1

Rush pass to Cooks is incomplete - 2nd and 20

Panthers' Jewell was taken off the field - timeout

Dowdle runs it up 8 yards but a Holding on Hoffman calls it back, 10 yards - 1st and 20 at the Panthers 33

Rush pass to Lamb and he runs it for 6 yards - 1st down

Dowdle takes it up 6 yards - 2nd and 4

Rush's pass to Lamb is caught for 8 yards and Woods tackles him, looks like he hits him directly on the head, but the replay looks like a shoulder-to-shoulder.

Still, Panthers are called for a Personal Foul on Woods, 15 yards and automatic first down for Dallas at the 35

Rush pass batted by Clowney, incomplete - 2nd and 10

TWO-MINUTE WARNING

That brings us to the 2-minute warning in the first half.

Cowboys are up by 10 and have the ball on first down at their own 44.

Dowdle picks up 4 yards, 1st down

Rush pass to Lamb for 8 yards - 2nd and 2

Hekker punts to the Cowboys 32, downed by Jansen

Young scrambles away under pressure, makes the pass to Legette but it's incomplete - 4th and 14

Cowboys take first timeout

Young pass complete to Thielen for 4 yards, tackled by Kendricks - 3rd and 14

False Start on Panthers' Hunt - 2nd and 18

Luifau takes Hubbard back for a loss of 3 yards - 2nd and 13

Aubrey kicks to the Panthers 4 and Thompkins runs it 27 yards to the 31

Cowboys took over after the interception by Kendricks and were able to get into field goal range but not in the end zone. Aubrey made the 52-yard field goal to extend the Cowboys' lead with 4:05 to go in the first half.

COWBOYS FIELD GOAL!

Rush pass complete to Lamb but he's immediately tackled by Jewell - 4th and 9 

FalseStart on Cowboys' Tolbert, 5 yards - 3rd and 9

Rush gets away to make the pass to Lamb but it's incomplete - 3rd and 4

Dowdle picks up 6 more - 2nd and 4

Dowdle runs it up 11yards - 1st down

Rush pass to Spann-Ford for 2 yards, 2nd and 8

Young pass INTERCEPTED by Cowboys' Kendricks, taken up 3 yards to the Panthers 48

Hubbard taken down by Smith after 2 yards - 3rd and 3

Young pass to Thielen good for 5 yards - 2nd and 5

Boone gains another 5 and the 1st down

Aubrey kicks to the end zone - Touchback to the Panthers 30

Boone picks up 8 yards - 2nd and 2

Rush made the pass to Lamb in the end zone for 14 yards and the Cowboys' first TD of the day. Aubrey's PAT was good and the Cowboys take the lead with 9 minutes left in the first half.

Elliott gets a few more yards on the next play - 3rd and 4

Elliott picks up 4 yards - 2nd and 6

Rush pass to Lamb for a huge 28-yard gain to the Panthers 20 - 1st down

Dowdle gains 3 - 3rd and 1

Dowdle takes it up 4 yards - 2nd and 6

Rush pass to Lamb is caught and he runs it for a 20-yard gain and the 1st down to the 45

Ferguson gets tackled by Clowney after 4 yards - 3rd and 8

Holding on Cowboys' Steele puts Cowboys back another 10 yards - 2nd and 12

Dowdle runs it up 5 yards - 3rd and 2

Rush pass to Cooks for 4 yards - 2nd and 6

Hekker punts it to the 30 and Turpin takes it up 19 yards to the 49 and trips over his own teammate, but an Illegal Block in the Back on Mukuamu calls it back, 10 yards and they'll start at the 23

END FIRST QUARTER

That takes us to the end of the first quarter.

The game is scoreless as we get ready to start the second. 

Young pass incomplete to Coker - 4th down

FalseStart on Panthers' Mays - 3rd and 10

Hubbard gets stopped by Wilson - no gain, 3rd and 5

Young pass caught by Legette for 5 yards

Anger punts to the 28 and Thompkins takes it up 8 yards, but Panthers' Johnson is called for Illegal Block in the Back - puts them back 10 yards to the 18

Cowboys go 3 and out

Rush pass deep to Tolbert is incomplete, broken up by Horn - 4th down 

Dowdle picks up just 1 yard, taken down by Cherelus - 3rd and 9

Cowboys have taken over at their own 14.

Rush fakes the handoff, makes a pass to Ferguson and it's incomplete - 2nd and 10

Young spins away from the arms of Parsons, but he FUMBLES after Liafau knocks the ball loose and COWBOYS (Kneeland) recoverit - Dallas ball at the 14

Hubbard takes off again and gets a big gain of 12yards and another 1st down at the Cowboys 18

Young pas to Hubbard for 6 yards and another 1st down

Young pass caught low by Coker - 3rd and 4

Legette gets away and picks up 2 yards - 2nd and 8

Hubbard picks up 4 for the 1st down

Hubbard picks up a yard, tackled by Golston - 3rd and 1

Young pass to Coker incomplete but an Offsides on Cowboys' Oruwariye gives Panthers 5 yards - 2nd and 2

Hubbard swallowed up by Parsons after a gain of 3 - 2nd and 7

Young pass CAUGHT in the air by rookie Coker for 15 yards - 1st down

Young pass to Legette for 2 yards - 3rd and 5

Young scrambles for 3 yards - 2nd and 7

Young makes the pass to Hubbard and he picks up 7 yards - 1st down

Hubbard takes it up 5 yards - 2nd and 5

Turns out that Thompkins actually stepped out of bounds before the run so the Panthers will start at the 13 instead of the 20

Anger punts it to the Panthers 13 and Thompkins takes it up 7 yards to the 20

Rush SACKED by Horn for a loss of 15 yards - 4th down, Cowboys will punt it back

They try it again, but this time Rush's pass to Lamb gets them a gain of just 8 - 3rd and 4

Rush pass is caught by Lamb for 25 yards but an IllegalFormation call on Edoga brings it back, 5 yards - 2nd and 12

And it's Dowdle AGAIN - Horn takes him down after 3 yards - 2nd and 7

Back-to-back runs for Dowdle and this time he picks up 12 for a 1st down

Cowboys start off with a Dowdle rush for just 4 yards - 2nd and 6

Hekker kicks it to the 6 and Turpin returns it 18 yards to the 24

GAME TIME!

The Panthers have won the toss and elected to defer.

The Cowboys start us off on offense. Here we go!

Cowboys

What are the Cowboys' chances of making the playoffs?

The Dallas Cowboys' remaining hopes at a postseason run were all but dashed with a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, with current odds gloomier than ever...

Just how gloomy? Read more.

Bryce Young's impressive improvement

Panthers quarterback and 2023's No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young was benched earlier this season after getting off to a rough start. In his first two games, he had no touchdowns and three interceptions with a QB rating of 49.5. Since he's come back as their starter, he's looked like he's out to prove why he deserves it. He now has seven touchdowns and four interceptions and a QB rating of 81.2.

Cooper Rush the Cowboys' last hope

In nine games this season since taking over for Dak Prescott, QB Cooper Rush has 1,191 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions.

NFL

Panthers favorites to beat Cowboys in Week 15

You know you’re having a bad season when even the lowly Carolina Panthers are favored to beat you. The Panthers have won five games in the last two years, and have been favored to win exactly zero...until now.

Read more.

Injury Report: INACTIVES for Cowboys vs Panthers

Cowboys Injury Report

Injuries continue to plague the Cowboys as they have all season. Cornerback Trevon Diggs and linebacker DeMarvionOvershown will both miss the game against the Panthers as well as the rest of the season. Diggs needs surgery on his left knee and will be placed on IR. Overshown blew out his knee last week and could even miss some time at the start of next season. Center CooperBeebe left last week's game with a concussion and has been ruled out for today's game against Carolina.

Cowboys Inactives vs Panthers

CB Trevon Diggs 

S Juanyeh Thomas 

RB Deuce Vaughn 

C Cooper Beebe 

WR Ryan Flournoy

DE Tyrus Wheat 

Panthers Injury Report

On Friday, rookie linebacker TrevinWallace was ruled out of the game against the Cowboys due to a shoulder injury. ClaudinCherelus will line up next to Josey Jewell instead. LB JadaveonClowney, however, is good to go after going from a limited to full participant in practice this week. Running back and kick returner RaheemBlackshear will also miss today's game due to a chest injury he suffered last week against the Eagles. 

Panthers Inactives vs Cowboys

RB Raheem Blackshear

S Nick Scott

CB Shemar Bartholomew

CB Akayleb Evans

LB Trevin Wallace

OL Jarrett Kingston

DT Sam Roberts

Cowboys and Panthers - where they stand

The Cowboys and Panthers both have losing records, Dallas at 5-8 and Carolina at 3-10. The Panthers are nearly eliminated from playoff contention. A loss today would do the trick. But despite the Cowboys having the better record, they're not exactly looking like a much better team.

Cowboys this season

The Cowboys have less than a 1% chance of going to the playoffs, and although a loss alone won't eliminate them, it's not something I'd recommend holding your breath for. They have dealt with injuries to significant players all season long, including quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been out for the season since his hamstring injury in Week 9. With Cooper Rush under center, the Cowboys have won a few games, but not enough to bring back hope. They lost to the Cincinnati Bengals last week - another team with a losing record. 

Panthers this season

The Panthers, despite what their record shows, have actually been playing much better football lately, ever since they brought quarterback Bryce Young back from the bench. They have played three straight games in which they almost upset a playoff team, losing by 6 points or less to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and most recently Philadelphia Eagles. But as we know, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Still, they are at least starting to gain a little respect around the league.

Hello everyone and welcome to our LIVE text coverage of the NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers!

It's Jen here and I'll be taking you through the game with live updates, scores, highlights, and commentary starting from an hour before kickoff and all the way through to the final whistle.

Today's game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. Let's go!