Week one for the Carolina Panthers is in the books. They hosted the Dallas Cowboys in their season opener and were able to come away with a 16-8 victory. However, it proved to be a very costly victory for the Panthers with two key players leaving the game with injuries. Let’s take a look at Carolina’s victory on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers Defense Comes Up Big Against Dallas Cowboys

Pregame Jitters

The start to the Panthers game was delayed about 10 minutes due to a bad weather system that passed over the Charlotte area. The storm featured thunder and lightning so as a precaution, the stadium enforced procedures to ensure everyone’s safety. Fans were asked to leave the stadium and it looked like kickoff might have been delayed a little longer. However, the storm passed by relatively quickly and the gameplan resumed slightly behind schedule.

PA announcer just asked all fans at Bank of America Stadium to leave their seats… It’s officially a lightning delay… @NBCDFW @1053thefan pic.twitter.com/YaZwlizPGl

— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) September 9, 2018

Shades of Newton’s Auburn Days

With the addition of Norv Turner to the coaching staff this year, many thought designed quarterback run plays were going to be extinct in the playbook. However, that proved to be untrue as Cam Newton rushed the ball six times in the first half including a four-yard run for a touchdown. He finished the day as the Panthers leading rusher with 58 yards on 13 rushes and was smart in doing so. He avoided any big hits but still looked to challenge defenders as he lowered his shoulder and ran through defenders on a couple occasions.

The Great Wall of Carolina

The Panthers are on their third defensive coordinator in three seasons but that does not seem to be a problem. The veteran defensive front seven looked spectacular in the Sunday’s win. The Panthers held the Cowboys offense to 40 total yards in the first half and prevented Jayson Garrett’s offense from taking any snaps in the opposing team’s territory, the first time that’s happened since 2002.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott had a tough time making it back to the line of scrimmage on Sunday and finished with only 69 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Dak Prescott was never comfortable in the pocket either, as the Panthers got to him six times on the day, with the sixth being the all-important forced fumble by Mario Addison that sealed the Panthers victory.

Missed Opportunites

A win is a win, but the Panthers left plenty of points on the board. On their first offensive possession, Carolina drove down to the Cowboys 5-yard line but Christian McCaffrey fumbled the ball and the Cowboys recovered. At the very least the Panthers should have gotten a field goal to start the game.

With 30 seconds right before halftime, Newton was sacked on first down and instead of hurrying back up to the line and spiking the ball, Newton decided to let the clock roll down to seven seconds before spiking it. The Panthers did come away with a field goal on that drive but could have taken a couple shots to the end zone with the proper sense of urgency.

After a missed field goal by the Cowboys, the Panthers drove down 63 yards and scored a touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter. However, a miscue with the field goal unit forced a bad snap on the extra point, giving the Panthers a 16-0 lead rather than 17-0. The error nearly proved to be costly later on as the Cowboys threatened to score and could have tied things up with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

• Newton led a seven play, 35-yard drive and capped it off with a four-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. 7-0 Panthers.
• An 11-play drive that was sparked by Jarius Wright and Torrey Smith resulted in a 27-yard field goal by Graham Gano. 10-0 Panthers.

Fourth Quarter

• C.J. Anderson and Devin Funchess played key roles in a six play, 63-yard drive that was capped off by Alex Armah‘s one-yard run. The extra point was no good. 16-0 Panthers.
• Elliot finally found some holes to run through and helped the Cowboys march down the field, eventually scoring a touchdown from four-yards out. Prescott ran it in for the two-point conversion. 17-8 Panthers.

Quick Takeaways

• The Panthers outgained the Cowboys 293-232. They held the Cowboys to 2-11 on third downs while going 4-12 themselves.
• Despite the miscues, Carolina was able to move the ball with ease on the Cowboys defense. The score made the game seem closer than it actually was.
• The Panthers defense struggled to force turnovers but did so when it mattered on the Cowboys final possession of the game.
• Carolina was penalized nine times on Sunday. Ron Rivera‘s team was the least-penalized team last season so he will not be happy to hear that.
• Newton spread the ball around evenly completing passes to six different receivers with the leading receiver being McCaffrey (6).
• Safety Mike Adams came away with a few nice open field tackles and looked great in coverage.
• Damiere Byrd served as the primary punt returner and gave the Panthers great field position each return. He finished with 47 yards on three returns.
• Every offensive lineman was penalized on Sunday except for left guard Greg Van Roten.

Injury Report

• Greg Olsen left the game with an apparent foot injury and returned in street clothes wearing a boot and on crutches. It was the same foot Olsen had injured last season.

TE Greg Olsen on the sideline with crutches. His right foot in a walking boot pic.twitter.com/YFBFXrvORR

— Matt Harris (@MHarrisWSOC9) September 9, 2018

• Daryl Williams had to be carted off the field after his leg got rolled up on in the second half. It appeared he injured the same knee he hurt in preseason.
• Luke Kuechly hyperextended his knee in the fourth quarter and missed a few plays before returning to the action.
• Byrd injured his knee but was able to return to the action later in the game.

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