Three Key Battles To Watch
Cowboys’ D-Line vs Panthers’ O-Line
With the injuries to Daryl Williams and Amini Silatolu, it is still unclear what the Panthers’ offensive line will look like in 2018. What is clear, however, is that this is unlikely to be the strength of the roster – though just how much of an issue this is going to be remains to be seen. While the 2015 Panthers’ O-line wasn’t the world-conquering unit that the Cowboys made the playoffs with back in 2016, it was good enough to allow the rest of the offense to be effective, and there is at least some reason to beleive that the 2018 line can do the same.
For their part, the Cowboys defensive line is actually a quietly strong group, with DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Taco Charlton giving them a top-tier edge rush and the likes of Maliek Collins and David Irving giving them interior options on passing downs. This is not a defensive line to confuse with the Jaguars or the Denver group which gave the Panthers so much trouble in Super Bowl 50, but there are many teams in the NFL who will have trouble keeping their QBs clean against the Cowboys – if the Panthers can keep Cam Newton upright on Sunday while providing running lanes on the ground, then that would bode extremely well for the season going forward. If the Panthers do give up some pressure, that is far from the end of the world, but if Cam spends his afternoon running for his life then something will need to be done to give the Panthers any chance of a successful 2018 season.
Panthers Run Defense vs Zeke Elliott
On paper, the Panthers’ run defense should be something of a strength, and the preseason at least lent some evidence to this argument; however, there were still occasional issues with gap discipline on the perimeter as well as some missed tackles. Despite this, on an average Sunday, the Panthers run defense is more than likely to come out on top against whomever they are facing – replacing Star Lotulelei with Dontari Poe should only have improved their ability to limit teams in this area. However, this Sunday is unlikely to be an average Sunday.
Ezekiel Elliott is not just very good, he’s excellent. Nobody in NFL history has produced rushing yardage with such efficiency and in such quantity as Elliot, and the only players to come anywhere close are either in – or will be in – the Hall of Fame. If the Panthers can keep Elliott in check, there aren’t many rushing attacks which stand a chance. While the Cowboys’ offensive line isn’t what it was a couple of seasons ago, it still has a number of excellent players and will likely do a decent job of carving out rushing lanes for Elliott as the season goes on. For the Panthers then, the job starts with the defensive line and their ability to penetrate and disrupt the rushing lanes, but a lot of the work will have to be done by the linebackers. If they can prevent Elliott from doing his thing, the Cowboys offense will be forced into falling back on its largely unproven passing attack; if Zeke can muster four or more yards per carry with a fair degree of consistency, the Panthers defense may well find themselves on the back foot for much of the game.
New-Look Secondary vs Cowboys Receivers
This Dallas receiving corps might no longer have Dez Bryant, but the loss of one might improve the unit as a whole – as a group, it is probably the strongest Cowboys’ receiving corps in recent memory. Allen Hurns, Tavon Austin and Cole Beasley are all decent receivers, with rookie Michael Gallup also looking to feature from the start; while none of these names are likely to strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators, they should provide at least a reasonable test for a very inexperienced Panthers secondary.
James Bradberry will likely see most of his work opposite Allen Hurns, and while Hurns isn’t going to be an All-Pro anytime soon, he is a solid receiver who Bradberry should hope to largely take out of the game. It is less clear who will be the main receiver opposite Hurns, but whoever it is will give Donte Jackson his first test of real NFL game action. Jackson has looked very good during the preseason, but it would be unreasonable not to expect some rookie mistakes early in the season. The standard that Jackson should be judged against, at least at this point, is not that of an elite NFL cornerback, but rather of a rookie corner who looks like he belongs; if he can do this, then he should be in fine shape as the season goes on and he continues to adjust to the NFL game.
Where the real uncertainty lies, however, is at safety and nickel – the Panthers are still yet to announce who will start alongside Mike Adams at safety and Captain Munnerlyn needs a strong start to the 2018 campaign to assuage fears following his subpar play in 2017. While the Cowboys don’t possess any outstanding tight ends, if the Panthers are unable to effectively cover the tight ends they do have, this will likely be a recurring theme throughout the season. Similarly, Cole Beasley is a good NFL slot receiver, but if Captain Munnerlyn is consistently getting beaten inside, this will likely say more about him than it does about Beasley. This Panthers’ secondary has a reasonable amount of promise, but a lot of questions remains, and a pedestrian performance against a unspectacular Cowboy’s receiving corps is unlikely to bode well for when they have to face the potent receiving corps of the NFC South, starting in Week 2 against Atlanta.
Summary
The Cowboys are an ideal opening start for the Panthers, especially at home. They are good enough to allow the Panthers to evaluate a number of areas of their roster effectively, without being so good as to offer an unreasonably high watermark. If the Panthers can win this game, they are likely a decent team, as this Cowboys team is certainly not without talent, but if they cannot beat this Cowboys team at home then they are likely going to struggle to hold their own against the NFL’s big boys. It would be foolish to take too much from one game, regardless of the result, but with a tough trip to Atlanta staring them in the face, this game offers the Panthers to work out who they are, for better or for worse.
