The 3-0 Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule will lead his team to AT&T Stadium to take on the 2-1 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. It should be a great NFC matchup between two of the surprise teams so far this season, but Carolina is a 4.5 point underdog.
Here is a little history between the two franchises. The Panthers are five and nine all-time in their series of games against the Cowboys, with one of those wins coming eighteen seasons ago in the 2003 NFC wild card game. Carolina has a modest two-game winning streak recently over Dallas.
According to a source from SBNATION, here are three bold predictions for this Week 4 matchup and it does not look good for the Panthers.
1. Sam Darnold tosses two interceptions – Three games into the 2021 campaign, QB Sam Darnold looks completely rejuvenated from what was observed when he played with the New York Jets. With the Jets, he threw nearly as many interceptions (39) as he threw touchdown passes (45). Also Darnold could not lead the Jets to a winning season.
Many wondered whether Darnond would improve his performance as a quarterback with a better coaching staff and supporting cast around him. So far, the answer is yes.
The former third-overall pick in 2018 has led the Panthers to a perfect start, while completing 68% of his passes for 888 yards and three passing touchdowns to go along with two rushing touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has Darnold rated as the 10th best passer in football and his PFF offensive grade exceeds what he did with the Jets by 17 points.
The competition is about to get stiff. The Cowboys have been the turnover kings of the NFL early on. They picked off Tom Brady, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts two times each in previous games this season. Darnold will most likely be their fourth victim. Prediction: The Cowboys intercept Darnold twice with the help of Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis.
2. CeeDee Lamb dominates – Three games into the season, the Panthers have the best defense in the entire league. Their stats are as follows: Carolina has an 80.1 team defense grade and has allowed the fewest total yards (573), fewest passing yards (438), and second-fewest points (30 in football).
The Panthers do have a talented defense but their stats might be inflated because of who their competition has been so far this season.
Carolina has gone up against three questionable signal callers this year, Zach Wilson, making his first NFL start, Jameis Winston, having one of his worst games in his 6-year career and Davis Mills, who was replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor.
This week, the Panthers will face their first real test going after the Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carolina’s secondary is also going to struggle to contain WR CeeDee Lamb. He will mostly be defended by either Donte Jackson or veteran A.J. Bouye, who is returning from an injury this week. Prediction: CeeDee Lamb has his breakout game of the season, going over 150 total yards from scrimmage and scoring two touchdowns.
3. Cowboys register their second straight double-digit victory – If Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey was playing in this Sunday’s game, it may be a different outcome, but without him, the Panthers will struggle to keep up with the high-octane Cowboys.
Carolina’s defense might get exposed with all the weaponry that Dallas possess and the Cowboys will not let the Panthers leave the state of Texas with the NFL’s number one ranked defense.
Dak Prescot is playing the best football of his five year career, especially considering the injury he had last season. The Cowboys running back combination of Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard, are running the football at an elite level, and the defense continues to create turnovers at an alarming rate. Prediction: Dallas continues their momentum off their blowout win against Philadelphia on Monday night and get their second straight double-digit victory.
