Cowboys vs Panthers Review

pratheekanne1
Oct 12
2 min read

Cowboys Waste Another Offensive Masterclass in Painful Loss to Panthers

The Dallas Cowboys managed to waste yet another offensive showcase, falling to the Carolina Panthers after allowing a game-winning field goal. It’s the same old story — the offense does its job, and the defense collapses when it matters most. Let’s break it down.

Offensive Takeaways: Stop Being Conservative

If there’s one thing that needs to change moving forward, it’s this: stop playing conservative football.When Dak Prescott and George Pickens are on fire like they were today, there is no reason to slow things down. Keep the pedal to the metal. Don’t run the ball on first down immediately after converting a crucial third down through the air.

I appreciate Brian Schottenheimer’s efforts to make this offense multidimensional — and at times, it’s worked. But in games like this, when the run game is stagnant and the passing attack is thriving, there’s simply no reason to keep forcing Javonte Williams carries.

And speaking of Schottenheimer, it’s becoming a theme: when the game’s on the line, he dials up the worst possible play calls. The Cowboys had 1st and 10 from their own 46-yard line, tied 27–27. What followed?Back-to-back screen passes that lost 12 yards.

I don’t hate screens — they have their place. But when your defense can’t stop a toothpick, you might want to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage instead of relying on slow-developing screens.

Jayden Blue’s Slow Start

Jayden Blue also needs to get it going. Through two games, he hasn’t shown the explosiveness and speed that were advertised. It’s early, yes, but sooner rather than later, he’s going to need to step up and become the playmaker this team expected him to be.

Outside of those issues, the offense is solid — and it’ll only get better once some of the injured pieces return.

Defensive Takeaways: Nothing Works

Defensively, where do we even begin?Nothing is working.

The run defense? Atrocious.
Gap integrity? Nonexistent.
Open-field tackling? Brutal.
Coverage? Leaky.
Third downs? Automatic conversions for the other team.

This defense can’t defend the run, can’t get off the field, loses track of receivers, and constantly gives up containment on both pass and run plays.

And yet, there’s one clear solution staring them in the face:Blitz the damn quarterback.

What Happened to the Pressure?

When Micah Parsons and Dan Quinn arrived in 2021, Dallas’ blitz percentage skyrocketed — and so did the pressure rate, sack numbers, and takeaways. This aggressive approach defined the defense through 2023.

So why, after six straight games of getting gashed in zone coverage, are we still running the same soft scheme?

Eberflus, it’s time to accept reality — Parsons isn’t walking through that door. Find new ways to generate pressure. Just eyeballing it, Dallas blitzed once the entire game — and it resulted in a 5-yard sack by Marist Liufau. Imagine that.