The Dallas Cowboys will play their sixth of nine road games of 2023 this Sunday when they travel to Charlotte, NC to take on the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina is in a state of rebuilding with rookie quarterback and first-overall pick Bryce Young at the helm.
Carolina stands with a 1-8 record, the worst record in the NFL, and losers of two straight. Their lone win of the season came in Week 7 over Young's fellow first-round pick C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.
That's looking like a quality win now with the Texans sporting a winning record of 5-4. That alone is a good reason the Dallas Cowboys shouldn't take this developing team lightly.
A road noon game in a stadium they haven't played in since 2018 could be a good recipe for a letdown.
You may be rolling your eyes, but remember when Dallas lost to the 0-2 Arizona Cardinals at their stadium earlier this season?
Nobody expected that to happen either. Especially at the hands of career backup Joshua Dobbs.
Dobbs has since been traded to the Minnesota Vikings after Kirk Cousins was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, and is playing good football.
No matter the outcome of this game, Young won't be going anywhere, but the Cowboys should use the Cardinals game as motivation.
Dallas enters a four-game stretch where they can make up some ground on the NFC East and conference-leading Philadelphia Eagles.
To set up a December 10th meeting with the Eagles at AT&T Stadium with first place on the line, Dallas can't afford any slip-ups.
The Panthers are currently one of the least talented teams in the league and will be without four starters on Sunday, including their top two cornerbacks.
This should be a game where the Cowboys roll, but not coming out and asserting dominance at the start would be a mistake.
The keys to victory in this game are nothing special.
Dallas needs to get back to basics and be fundamentally sound to make sure the Panthers don't gain any confidence for a surprise upset.
Let's break down just how the Cowboys can secure this road victory before returning home on Thanksgiving for a tougher matchup.
Start Fast
This should be the goal in any game they play, but starting fast is the best way to kill the confidence of inferior teams.
The Panthers know they aren't as talented as the Cowboys are.
Their main motivation will be to come out and hit the bully in the mouth and hope the shock can lead to a surprise victory.
To prevent that possibility, Dallas needs to set the tone from the start of the game. Head Coach Mike McCarthy needs to take the football if they win the toss, and go straight down the field for a 7-0 lead.
If Dallas starts on defense, Dan Quinn & the gang need to force a three & out or a turnover to break the Panthers' spirit.
Protect Dak Prescott
Cowboys' QB Dak Prescott has been sacked 22 times in nine games this season, and 10 times in the three losses.
RT Terence Steele, returning this season from a torn ACL suffered in Week 13 of 2022, has struggled in pass protection.
Haason Redick gave him fits in Philadelphia, and he now faces a similar challenge with Carolina's Brian Burns.
Burns can rush from both sides of the formation, but the Panthers would be wise to keep him away from Tyron Smith, who is the highest-rated pass-blocking tackle in the NFL right now.
Defensive Coordinator Ejiro Evero will have to get creative to help Burns get to Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys will be just fine if they help Steele with chip blocks to allow Dak to stand in the pocket and throw the ball down the field.
Limit The Penalties
Penalties have hurt the Cowboys this season (and previous seasons) at critical times of games.
They are currently tied with the Cardinals for the league lead in flags thrown against them with 69 and rank fifth in the NFL with 554 penalty yards.
Dallas committed critical penalties in all three losses this season, and they were particularly impactful in the close loss to the Eagles.
The Cardinals and 49ers games were out of reach, but a false start penalty inside the Eagles' 10-yard line within five points pulled a thread that unraveled the Cowboys for good.
Dallas leads the league in defensive offsides and defensive holding penalties.
The defensive holding penalties are automatic first downs for the opposing team, and the defensive offsides grant a first down most of the time.
Limiting penalties will prevent the Panthers from extending drives on offense, and also limit their scoring opportunities.
Prediction
Even if the Cowboys can't accomplish all three things mentioned above, the Panthers just aren't a good football team right now.
The Cowboys' offense will keep rolling while the defense will take advantage of a rookie quarterback with a bad offensive line.
CeeDee Lamb will extend his NFL record streak of consecutive games with 10+ receptions and 150+ yards to four games.
Dallas will come home for Thanksgiving with a 7-3 record on the heels of a 31-6 victory.
