4 ways Carolina Panthers QB Sam Darnold can hurt the Cowboys in Week 4
By Dean Jones
Sam Darnold must get Robby Anderson involved
Although the Carolina Panthers and Sam Darnold have a perfect record and his passing numbers look good, there is an elephant in the room that needs to be addressed at the earliest possible opportunity.
Robby Anderson hasn’t been involved nearly as much as we saw from the player in 2020, which is something that could change given the absence of Christian McCaffrey over the next few weeks.
Anderson is coming off his first 1,000-yard receiving year and signed a contract extension before the campaign got underway. His previous relationship with Darnold from their time together on the New York Jets left many reasons to be encouraged, but this hasn’t turned out too promising through Week 3.
The former Temple star has just 11 targets to his name over three games, which has resulted in five receptions for 107 yards and one touchdown. It’s also worth remembering that 57 of those yards came on one play – a deep score against his old team.
It would be a surprise if the Dallas Cowboys didn’t put Trevon Diggs on D.J. Moore prominently, leaving Anderson with a winnable matchup versus Anthony Brown he can take advantage of.
Much will depend on how much time Darnold gets in the pocket, but this could be the contest we finally see a breakout from Anderson given the circumstances.