Are the Dallas Cowboys ready for the Carolina Panthers?

The season opener is here. Dallas Cowboys. Carolina Panthers. Week One. Are the Boys ready for the match after all the surprise changes? Let’s talk.

Well, the Dallas Cowboys are starting the regular season with a bang. From cutting the second most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL to Rico Gathers swimming in trouble, to the front line injuries, we have a lot to talk about.

Oh, and the Carolina Panthers are on the bill, a team that posted an 11-5 mark last year and a playoff visit.

Let’s dive right into my five notes.

1. Dak Prescott is 1-1 in regular season openers, but…

With all the changes around Big D, releasing Dez Bryant and losing Jason Witten, I just think the Cowboys will use game one to feel the new team out. Now, don’t forget, this is a really young team.

Dallas will look lethargic and slow, especially as a visiting team in Carolina. The Cowboys will put up a good fight, but in the end, I see a 31-17 ending. Panthers win. But the Cowboys will collect the lessons for the long season ahead.

2. In Dan Bailey, we didn’t trust

Wow. How about the cut heard around the world? Bailey is out, along with his $3.4 million dollar price tag. I guess the guy wasn’t worth the money. This is the same guy who wore the big “C” on his jersey. This is the same kicker who, for a time, was the most accurate kicker in the history of the game.

This certainly is a new day in Big D. If the Cowboys and Panthers game come down to whose leg you’d rather have, my money is still on Bailey. But the Cowboys didn’t feel the same way. So, I guess, as they say, the show must go on.

3. Ezekiel Elliott goes overload

I’m betting on number 21 to get his fair of touches in the backfield and in the open turf. It’s no secret Zeke is the master lord in the offense now. It’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers limit Elliott but more importantly, how the Cowboys use misdirection and go with other weapons.

Who steps up? Who fills in? No more 82 or 88 my dear friends. Let’s see who stands out as the next feature player.

4. Travis Frederick is not playing

There’s no other way to say it. The dude with the beard ain’t playing. And it’s weird. Frederick (and his beard) has been a stable player, a brilliant staple for the Cowboys since 2013. The former first rounder’s absence will be felt immediately.

The Panthers will look to exploit the Cowboys. Can Dallas adjust? It’ll be interesting to see if the Cowboys learned from their lessons when veteran left tackle Tyron Smith went out last season. The team failed to call for help, and the Cowboys suffered.

Will the misery continue, or can the coaches dial-up an audible?

5. The show-offs

I said it before, and I’ll say it again: The thing I am looking forward to most is the defense. The summer camp is over. Preseason boredom is over. It’s time to release the defensive starters, together, in a meaningful game.

Despite a 31-17 prediction, mark me down for two Carolina turnovers. The bright side of this upcoming loss is Chidobe Awuzie and Randy Gregory. I think the surrounding act, made up of DeMarcus Lawrence and Sean Lee, will have a heavy pitch in this narrative, but ultimately the Panthers will be too much, too fast for the Cowboys.