4 keys to victory for the Carolina Panthers at the Cowboys in Week 4

Carolina Panthers must limit big plays

This Dallas Cowboys team is built on the pass. Specifically, big chunk plays, almost to an extreme.

This is especially odd when you consider the Cowboys are undefeated when they run more than pass during Dak Prescott’s tenure.

But who wouldn’t be with a wide receiver room that includes Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and plenty of other high-quality options to pair with their receiving tight ends and running backs. It almost seems stupid to do anything but pass the ball with that much talent on the outside.

This will clearly be a point of emphasis leading into Week 4 for the Carolina Panthers’ defense and rightfully so.

There will be big plays, it’s just going to happen.

However, the Panthers’ secondary’s job is to limit just how damaging those plays end up being by focusing more on the short and intermediate game.

Much like how they played the Kansas City Chiefs last season, let the big play happen every now and then in favor of stopping everything else.

This doesn’t mean that the Panthers should let Cooper and Lamb run free and get whatever they want, it simply means that they should focus on keeping the intermediate plays from killing them.

Most of Dalton Schultz’s damage in Week 3 was done on intermediate throws where he was left wide open. This cannot happen for the Panthers to have a chance.

If you can stop the short and intermediate game there’s no opportunity for the opposing team to sustain drives, especially in the red zone. So the Panthers need to not get tunnel-visioned onto those explosive receivers and remember just how dangerous a streaking tight end can be if you give them room.

It will certainly be a challenge to contain the Cowboys from a coverage perspective. Something this team needs to be up to.