Saca312

The ultimate momentum shifter honestly and the real reason Dallas one. They got more short fields than us and capitalized. They also created more turnovers. Panthers were competitive up to that point. Not many teams in the league can overcome a situation like that.

That no call was infuriating. Would've been a huge momentum shift for us and we would've been more comfortable heading into the second half with more confidence. Pathetic reffing display again, but we gotta overcome it.

Very fair, I got caught up on that train as well. Without the homerisn shades, the Cowboys simply are more talented. I said it'd come down to coaching and I thought we'd be the better end on that, but forgot that this coaching staff is relatively new and boneheaded mistakes are to be expected (still will hang that if we didn't go for a FG when we did, we would've been more competitive). Either way, we still fought and though it ended up a loss, it's not a terrible beatdown. Just one to move on from and learn from. Still a long season ahead and we have great talent and potential, just a few things to fix and we'll be more competitive. Oline is what it is, and is definitley not an overnight fix, but there have been bad oline who's made deep pushes in the playoffs. The Broncos won a SB in 2015 with a horrid offensive line and offense, although they had a historic defense to aid them. I think this game came down to being outcoached and stupid mistakes.

To think I got excited about this pick. His measureables and potential was great. But man, he does not have the drive to get better and it shows. Waste of potential and ultimately a bad player. We gotta move on.

Very true. Ultimately we gave up too many turnovers and short fielda to a team that feasts upon it. There's a reason why Dallas is top of the league at creating and capitalizing on turnovers. Much like the 2015 Panthers the Cowboys feast on that as well. It's a loss and it sucks, but at the least we get this out of the way early in the season and learn from it. Good thing to re-evaluate on tape and learn from. This is a talented team, and whether we can compete here on out depends on whether we shore up mistakes like this, which ultimately I believe led to our loss moreso than not.

Yep. That call for a FG was boneheaded as they come. Awful call and momentum shifter, gifting the Cowboys easy field position. Gotta learn to not give opponents those fruitcakes and be that risky.

Panthers played to defend the pass. Most notable was the small boxes we had. We figured the Cowboys would eat the secondary alive without Burris and Horn, and it showed Snow was overcompensating for it. Decent plan, if that didn't mean the Cowboys would eat us up on the ground like crazy. Live and learn. Gotta shore up our integrity at the line and show more doninance there. That was a surprise that I didn't expect nor liked seeing.

Very true. Also what didn't help was giving them easy field position. That avalanche began with that missed FG, then the turnovers afterwards. They feast on that. That should be priority number 1 of fixing: gotta stop making silly mistakes like that. Hope Rhule understands that as well.

First half we certainly looked competitive. Had a pathetic ref call gone our way it may have been a widely different score the first half. Just a matter of learning and getting better from this. Mistakes and turnovers we made were easy fuel for the high powered Dallas offense. They have capitalized on turnovers all season thus far and this game is no different.

A lot of things didn't go our way. A bad call to try a FG when we should've punted was also an arguably bigger deal as well. Gave easy field position for the Cowboys. We got 13 games ahead this season to prove we can get past this. I'm optimistic that this is just a small bump in the road for us that we will learn from, and anything to help a young team like this learn and improve is valuable. We may not be the best of the NFC yet, but we are showing we have the potential for it. Just a matter of time, building up this team bit by bit, and learning from mistakes.

Did anyone expect this good of a start to the season? It's still a great start for a team that is still in the process of rebuilding. We came in without CMC and Jaycee Horn, and still tried keeping it competitive at the end despite the daunting lead the Cowboys led up. Do we have issues? Yes, the Oline is abysmal and our defense had a wakeup call. But it was unrealistic to consider this young team a 17-0 juggernaut this season. We went up against a legitimate Cowboys team and the refs calling everything in their favor. It happens. This loss sucks, but we have a lot to look forward to. Promising talent, Sam Darnold showing might, and we have a manageable schedule ahead. Kick off the dirt, put your heads up, and let's move on to the next game and show we can improve from this.

Panthers entered this game expecting to defend the pass it looks like, light boxes galore. The DLine is getting massacred though that's not good

I very well see it. Chuba was a beast in college, loved his tape. Royce Freeman I also have a soft spot for, he showed Stewart like qualities that intrigued me. I think we will surprise the Cowboys a bit with our run game. Now if our o-line continues being inept, that's a different story, but hoping this case we get some decent holes.

Sure, that won't be enough though. Phil Snow has brought a whole new style of defense to the NFL, and our players are versatile and dynamic enough to execute it. They have very unpredictable looks that will take many games before the NFL gets a handle of it, and for sure Phil Snow is likely to dial even more newer looks against this Dallas team. Good luck to your Cowboys, as I think overall it can go either way. I remember that you posted in 2015 on this forum as well, and by and large you were right that your defense was solid at the time and it was mainly our playmaking defense that capitalized. Dallas does have slightly superior talent in terms of their players, so I think coaching will be the major tipping point. If Snow gets this defense to execute well and confuse the Cowboys o-line like he has to even the best in the Saints (with their center being a weakness, similar mold as the Cowboys), it will be a long day for him. You don't suddenly become historically insane on defense just from a cakewalk schedule. Their DVOA ranking continuing as number 1 is unprecedented in all of Carolina's history and their stats are at a historic record run even through the first of these early games. Mind you, the Panthers defense had many more top tier years than they have not. As for this defense, they are no slouches at all. As far as us offensively, remains to be seen whether we can take advantage of generating explosive plays. Joe Brady is a great schemer, so I expect a good poan, just needs to hone better on playcalling and redzone execution. Ultimately a hard game to predict. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Good point, as the Texans scheme was questionable at best. Simply left guys open in so many voids, Panthers could've definitely capitalized even more than they did that game. At the same time, it is no secret that the Cowboys do have a weakness in terms of limiting explosive plays. QBs have thrown 300+ yards against them for a reason, and they also lead the league in allowance of such type of plays. The Panthers have very explosive playmakers in Robby Anderson and DJ Moore that should take advantage.

Ah I see now, my bad. And hoping so too. Cowboys center is definitely their weakest point of their o-line from what I'm seeing, so I expect to see him be as much as a turnstile as the Saints center was. Phil Snow seems to dial up new surprises every week, so I'm sure he has a fun package for Dak Prescott this go around. Also, @rayzor feel free to close this thread as it is a duplicate. Unable to figure out how myself as it won't let me edit the OP.

Also, fun little nugget - a lot of their success against the Saints had to do with their center being bad. McCoy wasn't available for this game, so not having that experience also played a role into why one of the best offensive lines in the NFL looked like poo. The confusion this defense can generate is frustrating for any olinemen, especially ones who are bad. Of totally unrelated note, the Cowboys have a poo center who isn't the brightest. If he had to face a defense like the Panthers, perhaps he wouldn't do so well trying to unravel a DC like Phil Snow's looks. That might be amusing to watch this Sunday...

I am unsure if this was posted or not, but I found this to be both hilarious and a telling highlight. On the final drive before the half against the Saints, Phil Snow decided to have a little fun and, well, spam this one particular blitz as if he were playing Madden. Of course, if this were any other team, most seasoned NFL QBs would recognize the repetition and find a way to beat it. However, that task is hard when you're facing the most versatile defense in the NFL with a mad scientist at DC. Phil Snow called for a fun bit of pressure. Not only did he call this blitz once, he called it twice. But that wasn't enough. To rub the salt in the wound, he called it a third time, which was the icing on top of the cake as Jameis ran and threw a free candy bar to the Panthers secondary. Of course, it comes to question: how the hell did this play work three times in a row? Well, given the Panthers love for their confusing looks and blitz', it may simply be that Jameis assumed it had to be different the next time it happened. He was likely so frazzled by the complexity of Carolina's defense that he never was able to fully trust that they'd run the same blitz again and again. Same deal with the offensive line, they too looked lost against this ferocious defense. Keeping up with the mystery, confusion, and surprises of this Carolina defense is why they are a unit to be feared. It is also why they were able to run the same play three times in a row and scare the wits out of Jameis each and every time. Through their scheme and talent, their diversity and multiplicity allow this defense to be #1 in the NFL. That is why they are a defense to be feared. After all, if you can run the same blitz three times in a row with success each time, there's definitely something good going on with your defense.

The Panthers face off against America's darlings at their home stadium this coming Sunday. With the Panthers boasting a 3-0 record and the Cowboys a 2-1 and their only loss being against the former Superbowl Champs, this is a game that comes with both fanbases being quite confident in their respective teams. This by no means will be an easy game for the good guys. While they have come across a resounding win against the Saints who have turned over and been prolific against the Packers and Patriots, they also took advantage of relatively poorer teams in the Jets and Texans. Even with the Saints win, there are questions as to whether their injuries and coaching woes played the biggest role in those loses. Additionally, the Panthers are entering without their top RB in Christian McCaffrey and shut down rookie sensation in Jaycee Horn. Nevertheless, the Panthers have certainly dominated each of the opponents that they went up against. With the defense rushing their way to top of the league in historic fashion, plus having never trailed any of their opponents, they are showing they can dominate when they should. That hopefully continues this Sunday. Overall, it will be a tough game, and the Panthers need to continue their dominance against the best team they'll be facing so far. In order to win, here's three things the Panthers need to consider to win this Sunday: 1. Big Explosive Plays - Involve Robby Anderson One of the main items I want to see happen is Sam Darnold getting the ball down deep. The Cowboys defense has allowed a league high of 27 explosive plays so far this season. With the Cowboy's weakness being defending the big plays, the Panthers need to capitalize. Enter Robby Anderson. So far this season, he hasn't shown much on the highlight reels. Despite one fascinating huge play against the Jets, he has largely been silent in his play. I believe this largely has to do with the offensive line, being one of the worst in the league at win percentage. Matt Rhule recently said that he wants to get Robby more involved, and I expect to see that happen. Checking out the film against the Texans, Robby was open quite a bit. Sam Darnold unfortunately did not progress through his reads to have these kinds of openings in his sights, but if he's given time in the pocket and the green light to prioritize explosive plays, well I certainly expect to see Anderson being a big target. He can and has taken the cleats off of defensive backs and should be a big factor against the Cowboys middling pass defense. While the Panthers offensive line has limited how many deep plays the Panthers can do, with the Cowboys defense not being as good as the Saints and Texans respectively, I expect to see our WRs more involved. Hell, especially with Christian McCaffrey being out they need to show that they aren't just reliant on him to generate good offense and let the other talented WRs feast. Robby Anderson should especially see more targets. It is clear as day that he will. Sam Darnold needs to capitalize on the explosive opportunities that come up and use it to the Panthers advantage. With the Cowboys allowing each QB they've faced so far to 300+ passing yards, here's to Sam Darnold continuing that streak. 2. Panthers Defense - Stop the Pass On the flip side, the Cowboys also have an arsenal of pass catchers and a great QB at the helm. They have generated their fair share of big plays through the air, and given the Panthers crippled secondary this will be their biggest test yet. On the bright side, the Cowboys do not have the most stout offensive line. Their center is a turnstile and largely incompetent at the position. Our pass rush should have a field day against them, with Phil Snow dialing up confusion and destruction that'll keep their oline turning heads. However, if our secondary cannot keep up with the Cowboys pass catchers, all that effort by the front seven will be for naught. Dak Prescott gets the ball out at an average of 2.7 seconds. He can and will get the ball out quick and I expect to see a lot of these slice and dice plays. For those of you worrying about the Cowboys rushing threat, hell, that is negligible. Against the Chargers, they had their guys go for 180+ rushing yards, yet the game was still pretty close. Their defense schemed against the pass threat of Dallas and that worked a decent bit better than worrying about the rush despite their loss. Just look at the Buccaneers as well for that: they stopped the Cowboys running game, but they barely squeaked by and the Cowboys had plenty of offensive power through Dak's arm. The only reason the Bucs really won was through a massive talent gap disparity and things going their way, plus Tom Brady. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Cowboys rushing attack isn't the thing to most fear about their offense. Of course, even then, I expect our front seven to shut down any run game they try and muster. Hell, I hope that is what Dallas focuses on trying to establish, but I doubt that is their plan going into this game. Against the Bucs, they hardly had any success on the ground, but were able to keep it real close thanks to their ability to pass. As such, it is imperative that they shut down that facet of the game down the best they can. Dak is a lot better than the other QBs we have faced at blitz recognition and getting the ball out fast. I expect that to be their primary offensive attack to answer for this unpredictable pass rush. The silver lining is, Dak still isn't perfect. Despite more obvious blitz and formations from the Eagles, Dak still suffered through multiple sacks that honestly were self inflicted from holding onto the ball too long. If the Panthers can keep Dak to that and cover well enough to give enough time for the pass rush to feast, Dak will have a hard time getting any offense going. With that being said, I am optimistic the Panthers will indeed live up to the challenge. The fact of the matter is, Phil Snow is a genius. He is no slouch and I am sure he has a defensive gameplan ready to give Dak nightmares. Hell, Burns said it himself - the defense isn't scared, and they are ready. I am confident Snow's ready for whatever they try and throw at him and I expect the Panthers to take advantage. 3. Win the turnover battle Another big key. The Panthers have to execute well and win the turnover battle. The Cowboys defense tops the NFL in turnover differential, with +5 and boasting a total of 8 turnovers, only ahead of the Saints by 1. Part of the reason the Cowboys have been prolific is thanks to a defense that keys in on creating turnovers. Offensively, the Panthers need to keep their mistakes to a minimum. In the past few games, Sam Darnold has had a few scares with ball security that could've ended up much worse. While they have been decent enough so far, they need to continue playing mistake-free football against this team that loves capitalizing on them. The offensive line should also get better to avoid these scenarios from happening, but I have low hope on that front. As long as Joe Brady keeps to what's working and helps scheme around the offensive line, as well as keeping things simple for Darnold, hopefully we won't be turning the ball over as much. Additionally, hopefully our defense can capitalize on some mistakes Dak could make and start racking up turnovers. Either way, it is crucial the Panthers execute well on this front and don't let Dallas run away with these turnovers, which have been a big part of the reason Dallas is successful right now. __________ Overall, this is a winnable game. The Panthers have the superior front seven, and most importantly coaching. They need to attack Dallas' weaknesses with great force, while ensuring they are not making the same. Simple stuff to say, but harder to prove on the field. Ultimately, this is the Panthers first big challenge of the year. To prove they are contenders with a big chance at the playoffs rather than pretenders, a win here would help do that.

Will say that the reason I expect this defense to feast is precisely because of their center. His ineptitude will make it difficult for the Cowboys to diagnose Phil Snow's scheme. And unfortunately for the Cowboys, that will be their big weak link that will be capitalized on. If you want to compete with Snow's defense, you want to be sure you have a smart guy under center. I do not believe their center is capable of keeping up with our scheme whatsoever and might have his head on a swivel. Their offensive line will be having trouble all day. Ultimately though, it will come down to whether the Panthers can stop the Cowboys from passing. Very likely Dak will be getting the ball out real quick and if our defensive backside can't capitalize it without Horn, that will be the only concerning point. The Chargers gave an interesting blueprint and kept it close to the Cowboys - let them run all over you, but as long as you hold down their attack through the air, you can keep it close. Luckily for the Panthers, they are very stout in general and I am not too concerned about whether Snow can scheme against the Cowboys.

Yep, that Houston game was atrocious with the reffing. Perhaps one of the most incomptent displays I've seen in a long while.

This was an interesting thing I came across. Even with consideration for the strength of the Panthers opponents, Football Outsider's DVOA considers them #1 in the NFL through three games: https://www.footballoutsiders.com/dvoa-ratings/2021/dvoa-week-3-schedule-will-get-harder-steelers-cardinals-and-giants If I told you that I was applying opponent adjustments early without showing you the table of the top teams in DVOA, you probably would guess that Carolina would be one of the teams to take a big hit. Surprisingly, the Panthers stay almost exactly the same. Sure, the Panthers have played the Jets, and the Jets have been very bad. They've also played the Texans, but the Texans haven't been horrendous in the early going. They currently rank 19th in DVOA. The Panthers also dismantled a Saints team that played phenomenal in its other two games, and now ranks eighth in DVOA. So there isn't much opponent adjustment for Carolina, and the Panthers stay in the No. 1 spot (40.1%). Ironically, if it weren't for opponent adjustments, they'd be 5th place as of this week. Certainly encouraging to see, especially considering quality of opponents were a part of this.

Ah sorry original reply didn't mean to implicate Mav who I replied to, but the quotes of those who think Sam Darnold is just checkdown charlie, so agreeing with his point.

It's pretty easy to see who doesn't actually watch the game based on the people who post this.

This. Whether it continues remains to be seen. But he has proven to handle the pressure under adversity, and I hope it continues.