5 pivotal matchups to watch during Panthers at Cowboys in Week 4

Super spread offense vs. Carolina Panthers coverage

I already touched on how pass-happy the Cowboys are in the last matchup but one slide simply isn’t enough to describe just how much they love to throw the ball.

You may think the Carolina Panthers like to spread the field with a tight end and three receivers but Dallas takes it even farther with two tight ends on top of three receivers in the majority of passing sets, which is a nightmare for a defense to try and account for.

In fact, on the opening drive of Week 3 against the Eagles, every play the Cowboys ran was a two-tight end set.

This will put the Panthers linebacking cores coverage ability to the test. There won’t be any help or opportunity to rest as far as that is concerned come Sunday afternoon, especially when you add in the threat of the 1-2 punch that is Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard in the backfield.

There is hope for the Panthers from a coverage standpoint as Shaq Thompson and Jermaine Carter have only given up a 57.1 percent and 62.5% completion percentage respectively. But they haven’t gone against a team this dynamic from an offensive standpoint yet.

The Cowboys, when healthy, have two No. 1 receivers, two No.1 tight ends, two No.1 running backs, and multiple No. 2 worthy receivers all with different specialties and abilities.

They will be without vertical threat Michael Gallup, which will help things slightly. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy by any means.

On multiple occasions in Week 3, tight ends or receivers found themselves wide open on simple releases because of linebackers overcommitting or defenders missing assignments completely. That’s what a team full of weapons like this can do to a defense, get them scared of the big play.

The Panthers are going to have to be on their toes all game because one small lapse will mean a big mistake against an offense as potent as the Cowboys.