In their Week 11 matchup, the Dallas Cowboys will face the Carolina Panthers in an attempt to close the gap on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Carolina, like the New York Giants last week, does not present much of a matchup.
Dallas is on a high after defeating the Giants 49-17.
A win they needed to wash away the stench of the previous week’s loss in Philadelphia.
The matchup is heavily favored in favor of the Cowboys, as Las Vegas has Dallas as 10.5 point road favorites.
If you read my article about bold predictions last week, you’ll notice that none of my three bold predictions came true.
It’s ok. You are free to laugh. I just wanted to make that clear to my readers so they understand how bold these predictions are.
That is, whenever I make predictions, they are meant to be far-fetched but still within the realm of possibility.
When the Cowboys play teams with a record as bad as the 1-8 Carolina Panthers, I have a little more leeway to stretch to the far-fetched side of things, which is more fun.
Here are my bold predictions for the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers, which will be played this Sunday at noon in Carolina.
Dak Prescott Will Throw For 400 Once More
The Dallas Cowboys scored 49 points against the New York Giants last Sunday and will look to continue that streak in Carolina.
Dak Prescott was the driving force behind that offensive outburst, directing the offense with poise, confidence, and accuracy.
Prescott shredded Giants Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale’s defense for 404 yards passing and five total touchdowns in only three quarters.
Dak’s 10th career 400-yard passing game would tie him for seventh all-time with Patrick Mahomes.
The Panthers defense ranks seventh in the NFL against the pass, but that is a sham.
They also rank 26th against the run, while their offense ranks 29th in the NFL with only 17 points per game.
Why should teams pass the ball if their run game gets them an early lead and the Panthers offense can’t keep up?
The Cowboys’ passing game, on the other hand, is just getting started, and HC Mike McCarthy has been revealing more wrinkles with each passing week.
The passing game is the team’s strength, and I believe McCarthy will continue to develop it and allow Prescott to run free once more.
For the first time in his career, Dak will have back-to-back 400-yard games.
Dallas is going to score 50 points.
As previously stated, the Cowboys are on a roll offensively.
The combination of a scorching offense, a stingy defense, and playing against a bad team will result in the team’s first 50-point game since Week 12 of last season against the Indianapolis Colts.
It will also be Dallas’ fifth 50-point game since Prescott was drafted in 2016.
The Panthers have turned the ball over 11 times this season, and after intercepting Young, the Cowboys defense will score a touchdown of their own.
With KaVontae Turpin set to return from injury and resume his kick and punt return duties, I can see him going long for a special teams touchdown.
It will take a team effort, but I believe the Cowboys can hit a 50-yard burger if the ball falls in their direction.
The Cowboys will have eight sacks.
Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young has been sacked 29 times, which ranks fifth in the league.
Ironically, the game in which he was sacked the most (six times) was the Panthers’ only victory this season.
Multiple sacks are possible, and the Cowboys have one of the best pass rushes in the league, led by Micah Parsons.
Young will be forced to drop back and pass in a game where Dallas is likely to take a quick and multi-score lead.
It won’t work, but it will be a brave attempt.
When Micah Parsons and Sam Williams are chasing you down from opposite directions, Young’s mobility isn’t enough.
Frank Reich has taken over as play-caller once more, but it won’t matter.
Reich’s offensive line will be overwhelmed by the Cowboys’ defensive line, and Dan Quinn’s defense will record eight sacks.
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