A 20 point, two-interception third quarter led the Dallas Cowboys to a 22-22 win over the undefeated Carolina Panthers. After a 14-13 first half, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs started the run with two interceptions resulting in points while quarterback Dak Prescott tossed three of his four touchdowns. Despite this, the Panthers came back with two scores in the fourth but after burning all their timeouts couldn’t stop Dallas in the end. Below are our four biggest takeaways from today’s game.
Front Seven Shines
Having just four sacks entering the game, the Cowboys’ front seven came alive notching five sacks and pressuring Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold for most of the game. End Randy Gregory who was questionable to play with a knee injury led the way with two sacks and three quarterback hits. Fellow linemen Tarell Basham notched a sack while rookies Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa each had half a sack. On top of the sacks, the pressure helped force the turnovers and is a huge step for a unit showing improvement every week.
Run Game Dominates
Behind a now healthy offensive line running back Ezekiel Elliott had a vintage outing rushing for 143 yards and one score. His 47-yard scamper is his longest since his rookie year. On top of that, they kept Prescott upright and opened holes for 245 yards at 7.2 yards per carry. The balance shown thanks to the line’s performance has taken the offense to a new level and needs to continue moving forward.
Dak’s Hot Streak Continues
Prescott has returned to the field with a vengeance as today was the latest in a string of great games. While he only had 188 yards he tied a career-high in single game touchdown passes and moved the chains with a couple of timely runs. With only eight incompletions and no turnovers, this is one of his better games of the young season and something to build off of moving forward.
Diggs Comes Up Big
Just in his second year, Diggs has become the shutdown corner Dallas has been looking for. Through four games he has five interceptions which is a team record and has eight in his last nine games. With him locking down one side of the field the rest of the secondary needs to step up to take advantage of both Diggs and the improved pass rush. If they can the defense will reach new heights.