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Dallas Cowboys: 4 things to watch Week One at Carolina

By Matt Holleran

ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 26: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys smile during warm ups before the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium on August 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 26: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys smile during warm ups before the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium on August 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images /

The Dallas Cowboys kick off their 2018 season against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. Here are four things to watch for in the game.

It is finally here. The Dallas Cowboys play their first regular season game in just five short days. Dallas will travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers, in an unusual week one matchup. The Panthers were good enough to post an 11-5 record last season, and make the playoffs as one of the wild card teams.

This will be a tough first game for the Cowboys, on the road against a playoff team. Here are four things to watch for this Sunday in Carolina.

1. Will the preseason layoff effect Ezekiel Elliott?

The Dallas Cowboys took an extremely cautious approach with Ezekiel Elliott this offseason. Dallas did not play him a single snap in the preseason, making sure their star runner was healthy come week one.

The approach paid off in that regard, as Elliott is healthy and set to start this weekend against Carolina. Although he is healthy, there are questions if the lack of playing time in the preseason will cause Elliott to get off to a slow start.

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Elliott has not been a particularly fast starter and has taken till around weeks three to four to really get going. Going up against an extremely tough defensive front, Dallas will need Elliott to be at his best, and it remains to be seen if the layoff will be a positive or negative thing.

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