Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) @ Carolina Panthers (2-3)
Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM ET
Doesn’t it feel like the Dallas Cowboys are better than a 2-2-1 team at this point?
Doesn’t it feel like the Carolina Panthers are worse than a 2-3 team at this point?
This is a weird, but probably fun matchup this week. On a week-to-week basis, I don’t know that anybody knows what to expect out of the Carolina Panthers. They were down 17-0 against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Bryce Young had multiple turnovers early, and they dug deep to win 27-24, somehow.
You know who played exceptionally well for the Panthers on Sunday? Former Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. Dowdle had a 200-yard rushing performance for the Panthers, and he’s already very motivated to make an impact against his former team. The Cowboys clearly didn’t want Dowdle this offseason, instead choosing to move on to Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders.
And frankly, Javonte Williams has proven them right up to this point. He’s already got a career-high with five rushing touchdowns this season and is back to his pre-knee injury form.
Considering how well Dak Prescott has played this year, and considering that Tua Tagovailoa just had a three-touchdown, zero-interception performance against the Panthers, I’m a little surprised to see Carolina as just a 3.5-point underdog at home in this one. Maybe this game ends up getting weird in Carolina, you never know. I like the Cowboys by at least a touchdown, but we’ll see if Rico Dowdle can make them regret letting him go.
Prediction: Cowboys win 28-20