By: Wes Roop
"KEEP POUNDING!" The message was simple, but heartfelt. The words we repeat every Sunday were born January 3, 2004. During a halftime speech given by the late Panthers Linebacker, Sam Mills. The team on the other side of the field during that playoff game was the Dallas Cowboys. That playoff game is one of the many reasons why the Cowboys feel like a rival rather than just another opponent. Besides, we all have that annoying co-worker that is a dreaded Cowboy's fan. You know the one, running around saying "How bout them Cowboys," to the point you want to power-bomb them through a vending machine. Moving on, the Panthers and Cowboys have met 13 times, the Cowboys lead the series 9 to 4. Although we do win against them when it matters most *wink.* So below I am going to list 3 keys to closing in on the series record.
SETTING THE EDGE ON DEFENSE
Much like the Panthers, the Cowboys are dealing with injuries on the offensive line. The Cowboys are having a rough time with their interior lineman; their all-pro center, Travis Fredrick is out indefinitely, and it's doubtful their all-pro guard, Zack Martin will suit up Sunday. With injuries in the interior, don't be surprised to see the Cowboys try to get the ball outside, behind their tackles (La'ell Collins, Tyron Smith). If you go back to Zeke Elliott's rookie year, you'll see a good amount of runs led by Tyron Smith. The Panthers must set the edge on defense; we cannot allow them to get consistent yards using runs or screens to the outside. If we set the edge, we will force the ball down the belly of this defense, where our best run defenders will be waiting.
SOLID TACKLING
The Panthers have done a pretty good job getting to the ball in the preseason, though there has been sloppy tackling at times, particularly in the secondary. The Cowboys have speed at the Wide Receiver position and I expect the Panthers defense to play with the, "bend, don't break" mentality; meaning you could see our corners playing off the ball. The Cowboys may go for dink and dunk plays, but I expect the defense will limit big plays downfield. However, if the tackling isn't solid defending the dink and dunk, a 10-yard hitch could easily turn into a 40-yard touchdown. The front seven aren't safe, they must wrap up and finish tackles, especially as we will be up against one of the best running backs in the league and Dak Prescott, who can be pretty shifty in his own right. We can't let Zeke running loose in our secondary. Solid tackling may reward our Panthers with a sack when putting heat on Prescott.
TIME OF POSSESSION
My final key to victory is time of possession. Carolina and Dallas both love to run the ball, therefore maintaining a better control of the clock. I know we all would like to see Cam sling it and capture those big plays, it's hard to imagine the coaches keeping too much of a limit on him, however, eating up the clock on long methodical drives will be huge in this game. I fully believe the team that wins the time of possession battle will win this game. We definitely do not want to be the team with a tired defense going into the 4th quarter.
In closing, I do believe we get this victory. The 3 keys I mentioned are playing factors to the outcome of this Week 1 matchup. I predict this game is going to be somewhat of a low scoring game. I think the Panthers will be more efficient and effective in the redzone overall.
Final Score Prediction:
Carolina: 20
Dallas: 16
Feel free to comment, share, and as always KEEP POUNDING!
Commentaires