Cowboys vs. Panthers: Preview, score prediction and more for Week 1
The Dallas Cowboys will be on the road to start the 2018 season late Sunday afternoon, and they’ll be facing the Carolina Panthers in a tough NFC battle in Week 1.
The regular season is finally here for the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers, as both teams have something to prove in Week 1 of the 2018 season. The offseason has been quiet off the field for the Cowboys compared to most seasons, and for the Panthers, quarterback Cam Newton might be wanting to prove one of his old teammates wrong this entire season.
The Cowboys return to the field following a 2017 marred with off-the-field issues, court battles and suspensions that left the team out of the playoffs one year removed after winning the NFC East championship. Since last season, the Cowboys have seen Jason Witten retire, they’ve released Dez Bryant and now it is time for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott to prove that 2016 wasn’t luck, but the 2017 season was just a bump in the road.
As for the Carolina Panthers, they had a season that saw them finish 11-5 in the regular season but lose in the NFC Wild Card Round to the New Orleans Saints, 31-26. This offseason, the Panthers traded wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills. Besides Newton, the Panthers will need players like Greg Olsen and Christian McCaffrey to fill in that void on offense.
The Cowboys at Panthers game airs at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX.
Panthers Keys to Victory
It is simple for the Panthers in this game … if they are able to disrupt the backfield of the Cowboys, they will end Week 1 with a win. The Cowboys will go as far as Prescott, Elliott and the offensive line will take them, and with Elliott not taking a single preseason snap it is sight unseen with him entering the first game of the season.
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Offensively for the Panthers, a big key to the game is keeping Newton comfortable and not turning over the football. The Panthers can ill afford to give the Cowboys offense extra chances with the football, and if they do, even with a stout defense that includes Luke Kuechly and Julius Peppers, the Cowboys would most likely take advantage of those opportunities.
Cowboys Keys to Victory
The keys to victory for the Cowboys is for Dak Prescott to cut back on turnovers, and if the Prescott we all watched shortly in the preseason shows up in Week 1, well, the Cowboys have a good chance to take home a victory in the first game of the season.
More importantly for the Cowboys offense is the play of Ezekiel Elliott and whether he can continue his path to being the best running back in the entire NFL. Last season, Elliott played well most of the time he was on the field, and even with missing six games, he was still able to have nearly 1,000 yards rushing. The Cowboys must control the line of scrimmage in this game, and if they do so, that means Elliott could have a big day, which could equal a win.
Defensively, the Cowboys need to have their defensive backfield on point. They can’t allow the combo of Newton-to-Olsen to pick them apart. Newton will most likely be looking for Torrey Smith, Devin Funchess and rookie D.J. Moore to take advantage of the Cowboys defensive backfield. It should make for an exciting and interesting showdown between the two teams.
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Betting Odds
Point Spread: Panthers -3
Moneyline: Carolina -143, Cowboys +135
Over/Under: 42.5
All odds courtesy of Odds Shark.
Prediction
In the end, the Cowboys will keep it close on the road, but the Panthers present a bit too much on both sides of the ball for them to handle.
Final Score: Carolina Panthers 24, Dallas Cowboys 21