3 reasons why the Cowboys beat the Panthers 30-14

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Dallas Cowboys were able to dominate an opponent. Although Dallas gave the Carolina Panthers some confidence at the end of the first half with a busted coverage for a long score, they managed to regain control and soundly beat the Panthers. Both sides of the football were sharp and commanded the second half. With their win, the Cowboys can take that positive momentum into the next week, and the team can feel good about themselves. However, a few things in particular were exceptional for the Cowboys and carried them to victory.

Rico keeps rolling

For the third week in a row, Rico Dowdle anchored the running game for the Cowboys. The offensive line has been terrific lately, especially along the interior, with great outings from Brock Hoffman opening holes for Dowdle to exploit. Still independently, Dowdle has demonstrated he has the elusiveness and the burst to shake past linebackers at the second level of the defense and turn modest gains into chunk runs for the offense.

Dowdle hit a new career high in rushing in each of the last three weeks, setting another with 149 rushing yards this week. Dating back to Week 13, Dowdle has run for 392 yards. His recent pace has him set to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing for the season, something that seemed improbable a few weeks ago. He has been a premier runner the last few weeks and is showing every bit the part as the team’s RB1.

Forcing turnovers

With Dallas missing so many key players, winning the turnover battle is even more essential. Dallas forced turnovers in bunches against a Carolina team that appeared to have resolved a problem that had plagued them. Bryce Young has been having spirited performances lately, yet all that halted once the Cowboys’ defense forced him into multiple turnovers. The flurry began with Marist Lifau punching out a fumble on Young as they approached the end zone in the first quarter. The Cowboys followed that up with a pass deflection by Jourdan Lewis, which resulted in an interception for Eric Kendricks, his second of the season.

As they say, pressure bursts pipes, and Dallas’ pass rush washed away any chances the Panthers might’ve had at winning the game. Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and the pass rush dominated the second half versus Young. He recorded two sacks in the first three plays to open the second half, including a strip sack to set the offense up prime real estate for Cooper Rush and the offense. In all, Dallas recorded four turnovers against the Panthers. Micah Parsons was also terrific rushing the passer. He sacked Young twice and recorded two tackles for loss. Mike Zimmer’s defense was flying around the ball and wreaking havoc Sunday.

Calling a great game for Cooper Rush

Lately, the offensive coaching staff has come under fire for not putting their playmakers in the best position to be successful and making things difficult for Cooper Rush. Against Cincinnati, Dallas abandoned the run at crucial stages, and Rush had a subpar game. After his performance last week, you knew he was anxious to get back on the field, and he fared much better against the Panthers. He thrived thanks to the coaching staff giving Rush a simple formula he could execute. One mistake Dallas made last week was letting CeeDee Lamb be taken away from the gameplan for extensive periods during the game.

Lamb was heavily targeted and an integral part of the offense this week. On their first touchdown drive of the game, Dallas dedicated the drive to making Lamb the focal point. On the 77-yard drive, Lamb was targeted three times for 68 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown throw from Rush. You can be assured Rush’s bounce-back game came from not going away from Lamb too soon in the game. They rectified that this week by cleverly countering Panthers’ defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s blitz-heavy scheme with screens against man coverage to free Lamb to use his vision as a receiver in space. Taking what the defense gave them allowed Lamb to have a big day for Rush with nine receptions for 116 yards.

Aside from throwing to Lamb, Rush did well for himself. He improvised outside the framework of the offense with some mobility and made some very good throws. This throw to Jalen Brooks improvising out of the pocket was beautiful.

Rush had three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 119. The coaches did a great job of making things for Rush, and except for a few hiccups here and there, he was excellent.