Dallas Cowboys Week 4 bold prediction against Carolina Panthers

The Dallas Cowboys almost made all of my predictions come true with the dismantling of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Quarterback Dak Prescott did not throw for 300 yards but everywhere else I was pretty close.

He did throw for 3 touchdowns and although I said he would run for his first touchdown of the season, the referees decided not to give him what I believe was a clear touchdown. You can’t be too disappointed with the outcome as I thought the score would be 34-21.

A late touchdown would erase my prediction but that is still pretty close to the final score. The defense also took the ball away to continue the streak and although I don’t think Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs gets an opportunity to get an interception this week, I do think the streak continues today against Carolina.

The Dallas Cowboys vs Carolina Panthers Week 4 game will be a close matchup

The Carolina Panthers come to Dallas with an undefeated record and the league’s number one ranked defense.  They are the only team in the NFL who give up less than 200 total yards a game. The Cowboys will probably beat their average before halftime of this game. Although I think the Panthers can be beaten, those who think this will be a cakewalk are mistaken.

Yes, they are without their star running back Christian McCaffrey but Sam Darnold and wideout Robbie Anderson once torched this defense when they played for the New York Jets so I would not look past his team. It feels funny but this game does have the feel of a trap game. How could an undefeated team with the best defense in the NFL be a trap game you might ask?

Carolina has faced rookie Zach Wilson in his Jets debut. They beat a New Orleans Saints team that was missing the majority of the offensive coaching staff who were out due to COVID-19. Then last week they beat a Houston team without their starting quarterback and they faced third-round rookie quarterback Davis Mills.

The best defense in the league is about to be tested. Carolina head coach Matt Rhule is a damn good X’s and O’s kinda guy. In a league that loves to throw the football, he employs a 3-3-5 defense.

That means you will see three down linemen and three linebackers. In obvious passing downs, the fourth linebacker likes to rush essentially making it a nickel defense. On run downs, their down three linemen play a two-gap role while the three stand-up guys flow to the ball.

With two deep safeties to cover the big play, this defense could be used more and more throughout the league. In fact, I would like to see the Cowboys run this scheme sometimes to confuse teams on where Cowboys rookie superstar Micah Parsons will line up.

Speaking of Parsons, I think he will have a quiet game compared to what we have been accustomed to watching but defensive lineman Osa Odigizuwa will be a problem for Carolina’s offensive line. I also think rookie Chauncey Gholston will get his first career sack this week.

This game has a grind-it-out feel and I think the Panthers will try and slow this game down early in an attempt to quiet the Dallas crowd. Unlike previous years, the home opener against the Eagles last week sounded like fans had a purpose and their purpose was to make some serious noise.

I have the Cowboys winning the game by a score of 27-17. The game will feel a lot closer than the final score indicates and the Cowboys will struggle with what the Panthers throw at them. The Cowboys are on a short week while the Panthers had extended time to prepare as they last played over 10 days ago.

The running game will be a huge part of the offense this week so Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard should be really busy. A combined 175 rush day from both of these teams is not out of the question. Dak will have another complimentary stat line but I do think Prescott could have a multi-interception game. Those are the types of things that could derail his MVP campaign but all I care about is getting the victory. Buckle up Cowboy fans, this game is about to get bumpy.