Gamebreakers: 10 Cowboys who declawed Panthers
It was yet another week wherein the Dallas Cowboys entered a contest as heavy favorites but, this time, the opponent felt as if they might be a bit scrappier than the previous one.
The Carolina Panthers owned a record of 1-8 but mostly due to their offensive ineptitude, but first-overall pick Bryce Young could make any given week the one he finds his groove.
It wasn't this week, though.
Young mostly deferred production to running backs Chuba Hubbard and Mile Sanders, mostly under siege himself by the Cowboys' vaunted pass rush and, ultimately, there wasn't much the Panthers could do to stop the Cowboys whenever [at times] Dallas decided to enforce its will.
Here are the players who will stood out the most in the Queen City.
Big Facts: Cowboys struggled vs. No. 1 overall picks
The Cowboys are looking to get to 7-3 this weekend with a road game in Carolina before a three-game homestand in Dallas. The Panthers have just one win this year but nothing seems to be a guarantee in the NFL these days.
Heading into Sunday's game, here are 10 interesting facts surrounding the Panthers, the Cowboys and their matchup in Carolina.
Rank'Em: 10 memorable game vs. Panthers
The Cowboys don't have a terribly long history against their Week 11 opponent, as the Panthers joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995. Regardless, they head into this matchup on Sunday owning a 10-3 advantage in the regular season with Carolina holding the edge in the playoffs, earning a 2-0 mark.
Surprisingly, the Cowboys actually lost their first two meetings with the Panthers, however, since then Dallas has largely dominated the series. In fact, from 1998 to 2012, the Cowboys won nine of 10 games.
So while there isn't exactly a significant number of classics in the series between these two, here are 10 of the most memorable.
X Factors: 10 key players for Cowboys & Panthers
The first meeting was a 40-0 blowout by the Cowboys in Week 1. But let's see how things have changed for each team as the Giants come to AT&T Stadium on Sunday for a rematch.
Since the Super Bowl is always the goal for every team, we decided to rank the Top 10 X-factors for the Cowboys and Panthers, using roman numerals, since 10 = X.
Here we go, these 10 guys will likely be big difference-makers one way or another.
Big Picture: 10 Storylines for Cowboys & Panthers
The Cowboys are trying to build a winning streak as they head into the final stretch of games. At 6-3, they play at Carolina before a three-game homestand. The Panthers are just 1-8 this year with their lone win against Houston. Can the Panthers find a way to pull off the Texas sweep?
Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five for the Panthers and five for the Cowboys.
