Panthers pull away late in rain soaked season opener

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It was a soaking wet opening night for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, and the rain seemed to affect both teams in Sunday's first Game of the Week. For much of the afternoon, neither offense was able to find a consistent rhythm.

Once both teams got on the board, it briefly looked like the game might turn into a shootout. Dallas struck first, and Carolina answered later in the opening quarter. After that, though, the Panthers’ defense settled in, the Cowboys’ offense stalled, and Carolina slowly took control on its way to an opening-day victory.

Dallas Starts Fast Before Carolina Adjusts

On the Cowboys' first drive, it looked like Ezekiel Elliott might be headed for a huge game. Dallas got him involved early, and Elliott powered through tackles on a 24-yard screen pass for the game's first touchdown. The missed extra point, however, left the Cowboys with a 6-0 lead and served as an early sign that points would not come easily in the rain.

From there, Carolina's defense tightened up and made sure Elliott never took over the game.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried after that first drive," Panthers head coach Mark Miller said. "Once Zeke gets going, he's too hard to stop most of the time. He's the lifeblood of that team, and they love going through him for offense. We made some adjustments on defense and tried to make their below-average receiving corps beat us. I'm happy with how we responded. Overall, a great day."

The response was exactly what Carolina needed. After that opening drive, the Panthers turned the game into a strict #NoZeke zone, holding Elliott to under 100 yards of total offense and forcing Dak Prescott to try to win the game through the air.

Panthers Defense Takes Control

Carolina harassed Prescott all afternoon and never allowed the Dallas offense to settle into a rhythm. The Panthers finished with four sacks, forced two turnovers, and held the Cowboys to fewer than 300 total yards.

Right end Mario Addison led the team with six tackles, while Julius Peppers added another sack to his incredible career total. Peppers now sits at 155.5 career sacks, only four away from passing Kevin Greene for third place on the all-time list.

The Panthers’ offense answered Dallas late in the first quarter when Cam Newton found Christian McCaffrey over the middle for a 24-yard touchdown pass. McCaffrey also added 11 carries for 39 yards and a rushing touchdown, playing a key role in helping Carolina control possession and limit Dallas' chances to climb back into the game.

After the early scores, the game settled into a defensive battle. The teams traded punts, mixed in the occasional field goal, and went into halftime with Carolina beginning to impose its style.

Safety Swings Momentum Toward Carolina

After halftime, the Panthers came out and overpowered the Cowboys. A poor decision by Tavon Austin on a punt return pinned Dallas at its own 1-yard line, putting the Cowboys in a dangerous spot while needing a score to keep the game close.

As soon as the ball was snapped, Dontari Poe burst through the line and beat All-Pro center Travis Frederick, who may still be feeling the effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome, the rare autoimmune disease that sidelined him in real life. Poe brought down Elliott in the end zone for a safety, giving Carolina two more points and even more control of the game.

The Panthers looked ready to add another touchdown on their next drive. Facing third-and-4 from the Dallas 8-yard line, Carolina called the number of rookie first-round pick D.J. Moore. Moore broke open on a slant in the middle of the end zone, and Newton delivered the ball on time, but the rookie could not hold on.

Moore finished the night with just one catch on three targets for six yards and two drops. Maybe it was the rain. Maybe it was the adrenaline of his first game. Either way, the rookie knows those mistakes have to disappear if he wants to earn a bigger role in the offense.

"I played a pretty bad game," Moore said. "I pride myself on being able to catch good balls that are thrown to me. I'm not going to make any excuses. I'm just going to continue working hard and get better every day, because I have a lot of work to do if I want to get on Devin Funchess' level. Did y'all see that catch he made?"

Funchess Delivers The Highlight

Yes, everyone saw that catch.

Newton dropped a beautiful throw between the cornerback and safety, and somehow Funchess hauled it in for one of the biggest plays of the game. In a matchup where offense was hard to come by, Funchess' catch helped break Dallas' resistance and pushed the Panthers closer to putting the game away in the fourth quarter.

McCaffrey later added a 33-yard touchdown run, giving Carolina the final blow it needed to salt away the game and send the home crowd home happy. On a wet, sloppy day in Charlotte, the Panthers leaned on defense, field position, and just enough offense to open the season with a win.

Up Next

It will not get any easier for the Panthers next week, as Carolina heads on the road to face Julio Jones, Matt Ryan, and the Atlanta Falcons.