The Dallas Cowboys will take on the Carolina Panthers in their Week 11 matchup as they try to close the gap between themselves and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carolina doesn’t pose much of a matchup, much like the New York Giants failed to do so last week.
Dallas is riding high after a 49-17 dismantling of those Giants.
A win they needed to get the bad taste out of their mouths after the loss in Philadelphia the week prior.
Like last week, the matchup is heavily weighted in the Cowboys’ favor, and Las Vegas has Dallas as 10.5 point favorites on the road.
If you read my bold predictions article last week, you’ll see none of my three bold predictions came true.
It’s ok. You can laugh. I just wanted to point that out to my readers so you understand that these predictions are bold.
Meaning every time I make these predictions, they are meant to be far-fetched, but still in the realm of possibility.
When the Cowboys play teams with as bad a record as the 1-8 Carolina Panthers, it gives me a little more room to stretch to the far-fetched side of it, and that’s more fun.
Here are my bold predictions for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers game to be played this Sunday at noon in Carolina.
Dak Prescott Will Throw For 400 Again
The Dallas Cowboys scored 49 points last Sunday versus the New York Giants, and look to keep that rolling in Carolina.
Dak Prescott was the catalyst to that offensive explosion, directing the offense with poise, confidence, and accuracy.
In only three quarters, Prescott carved up Giants Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s defense to the tune of 404 yards passing and five total touchdowns.
It would mark Dak’s 10th career 400 yard passing game, tying him with Patrick Mahomes for seventh on the all time list.
The Panthers defense actually ranks seventh in the NFL against the pass, but that ranking is a mirage.
They also rank 26th versus the run while their offense ranks 29th in the NFL in scoring with just 17 per game.
Why would teams need to pass the ball if their run game gets them an early lead, and the Panthers offense can’t keep up?
However, the Cowboys passing game is just warming up, and HC Mike McCarthy has been showing more wrinkles with each passing week.
The passing game is the strength of the team, and I believe McCarthy will continue to develop it and let Prescott loose again.
Dak will have back to back 400 yard games for the first time in his career.
Dallas Will Score 50 Points
As I mentioned above, the Cowboys are rolling on offense.
The combination of a piping hot offense, a stingy defense, and playing a bad team will result in their first 50 point game since Week 12 of last season versus the Indianapolis Colts.
It will also mark the fifth time Dallas will score 50 points since Prescott was drafted in 2016.
The Panthers have turned the ball over 11 times this season, and an opportunistic Cowboys defense will score a touchdown of their own after intercepting Young.
With KaVontae Turpin set to return from injury and resume his kick and punt return duties, I can picture him taking one the distance for a special teams touchdown.
It will be a team effort, but I believe the Cowboys can hit a 50 burger if the ball bounces their way.
Cowboys Will Record Eight Sacks
Panthers young QB Bryce Young has been sacked 29 times, which is good enough for fifth most in the league.
Ironically, the game in which he was sacked the most (six times) was the only game the Panthers managed to win this season.
The potential for multiple sacks is there, and the Cowboys have one of the fiercest passes rushes in the NFL, led by Micah Parsons.
In a game where Dallas likely takes a quick and multi-score lead, Young will be forced to drop back to pass to keep the Panthers in the game.
It won’t work, but it will be a valiant effort.
Young is somewhat mobile, but when Micah Parsons and Sam Williams are chasing you down from opposite directions, mobility isn’t enough.
Frank Reich has once again taken over play-calling duties, but it won’t matter.
Reich’s offensive line will have no answer for the Cowboys’ defensive front, and Dan Quinn’s defense will celebrate eight sacks.