Cowboys' EXPLOSIVE Offense Faces Panthers' DESPERATE Defense | Will Dallas Win Again???

Summary

Locked On Cowboys – Cowboys' EXPLOSIVE Offense Faces Panthers' DESPERATE Defense | Will Dallas Win Again???

Podcast: Locked On Cowboys / Locked On Panthers Crossover
Hosts: Marcus Mosher (Locked On Cowboys), Julian Council (Locked On Panthers)
Date: October 9, 2025

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Episode Overview

This NFL Crossover Thursday brings together Marcus Mosher and Julian Council for a spirited, in-depth preview of the upcoming Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers game. With both teams hovering around .500 and each fighting for momentum, the hosts examine storylines, pivotal matchups, and keys to victory. They also reflect on recent performances, injury impact, and the state of both franchises entering a critical week. As always, the conversation is energetic, insightful, and blends optimism with realism for fans of both teams.

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Main Themes

• Cowboys’ Explosive Offense vs. Panthers’ Inconsistent, Desperate Defense
• Dak Prescott’s MVP-level play as Dallas copes with injuries
• Carolina’s search for consistency and a "complete game"
• Key matchups, especially at running back and wide receiver
• Expectations for a potential shootout given both teams’ offensive strengths and defensive vulnerabilities

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Team Storylines and Stakes

Timestamps: 03:34–06:31

• Both teams are essentially at a crossroads, each needing a win to stay in the playoff conversation amid tough upcoming schedules.
• Marcus Mosher (03:34): “I don't want to say this is a game they have to win, but it kind of is.”
• Dallas is dealing with numerous offensive injuries, including star receiver CeeDee Lamb and multiple offensive linemen. Despite this, they scored 37 against the Jets.
• Julian Council (04:41): Carolina has experienced wild swings, from blowing out Atlanta 30-0 to losing badly against New England. The Panthers have trailed by three scores in 4 of 5 games.

Quote – Marcus Mosher (03:34):
“Cowboys sitting at .500, I suppose after five games they've got an incredibly hard schedule coming up, so... kind of is [a must-win].”

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2. Cowboys' Offensive Resilience Amid Injuries

Timestamps: 04:41–05:57

• Dallas’ offense continues to hum despite injuries to crucial starters.
• Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was not an exciting hire, but the fit with Dak has worked out well.

Quote – Marcus Mosher (04:41):
“They scored 37 points against the Jets on the road and that was without 54% of their offensive starters.”

• Cowboys fan concern: Will inactivity or “stinker” performances (as happened vs. the Bears) resurface?

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3. Carolina’s Inconsistency & Bryce Young’s Development

Timestamps: 06:31–09:24

• Panthers are desperate for stability—most games have seen them get in deep holes, needing big comebacks.
• Bryce Young’s performances have been uneven, mixing costly mistakes with clutch plays. Receivers’ health could be key, as Jalen Coker may return to join Legette and McMillan.
• Julian Council (07:54): “We had the full gamut of Bryce Young, but another one to look at here too... is Jalen Coker. If they get all three top receivers healthy... maybe this is the week this finally looks like what it was supposed to.”

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4. Standout Defensive and Offensive Players

Timestamps: 09:24–10:07

• Dallas’ defense is showing glimmers of potential, notably with increased pressure and performance from players like Dante Fowler.
• If the Panthers can score around their average (24 points), it’s a solid outcome for Carolina given Dallas’ weaknesses.

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5. Key Matchups That Could Decide the Game

Timestamps: 12:40–19:14

a. Running Backs: Rico Dowdle vs. Javonte Williams

• Both teams have dynamic, emerging running backs pivotal to their offensive success. The show highlights Dowdle’s breakout against Miami and Williams’ resurgence in Dallas after injuries derailed his time in Denver.

Quote – Marcus Mosher (12:40):
“Whoever’s running game is better on Sunday, their team will probably win.”

b. No. 1 Receivers: Tetaro McMillan vs. George Pickens

• Intrigue around McMillan (nearly a Cowboys draft pick) thriving in Carolina, while Dallas pivoted to Pickens, now a big-play threat. Whichever receiver wins his matchup could determine the outcome.

Quote – Marcus Mosher (15:32):
“As soon as the draft ended, they made the trade for George Pickens. So far Pickens has been a revelation for them... I’m going to be fascinated to see which of these two receivers... can beat their matchup.”

• Julian also highlights Carolina’s Leggette as a possible X-factor, especially after an emotional return from injury.
• Matchups with Dallas corners (DaRon Bland, Trevon Diggs) will be critical.

c. Interior Line Battle: Derrick Brown vs. Cowboys’ Banged-Up OL

• Panthers’ star DT Derrick Brown is a game-wrecker, while Dallas must rely on backup interior OLs like Brock Hoffman and TJ Bass due to injuries.
• Hoffman and Bass impressed vs. the Jets loud DL but Brown remains a major worry.

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6. Keys to Victory

Timestamps: 24:43–28:51

Dallas Cowboys

1. Dak Prescott must continue MVP-level play
   • “This is an incredibly flawed team with a lot of injuries…they’re asking their superstar quarterback to be a superstar.” – Marcus (24:43)
2. Defense needs to generate takeaways
   • Get at least a couple of turnovers or big stops to compensate for defensive struggles.
3. Win special teams phase
   • Dallas kicker Braden Aubrey is described as possibly “the best kicker in the league,” which gives Dallas a unique edge in close games.

Carolina Panthers

1. Keep up offensively with Dallas
   • Panthers need to approach or surpass 30 points to have a shot. “Carolina has to keep up with Dallas offensively.” – Julian (26:46)
2. Limit offensive turnovers by Bryce Young
   • Panthers are 2–18 when Bryce turns the ball over. They can’t afford costly giveaways against Dallas’ offense.
3. Run Game Production
   • Build on last week’s 200+ rushing yards. Dallas has been dead last in run defense success rate per Julian’s stats.

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7. Game Flow and Predictions

Timestamps: 28:51–30:37

• Both expect a “shootout” style game given offensive strengths and defensive flaws.
• Line: Dallas is a 3.5-point favorite; Over/Under set at 49.5 – both hosts “take the over.”
• Possibility for an unexpected low-scoring game is acknowledged, typical of NFL unpredictability.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brian Schottenheimer’s Hiring:
  Marcus Mosher (05:41): “They hired him at a Friday night at like 10:30 at night. So nobody would know…nobody was excited about this at all, but at least it’s working.”
• On Bryce Young’s Turnovers:
  Julian Council (26:46): “When [Bryce] turns the ball over, the Panthers…they lose. They’re 2–18 when Bryce Young has turned the ball over.”
• On Roster-Building Philosophy:
  Marcus Mosher (18:20): “It’s a good reminder just to take the best players available on your board because you just never know how things are going to play out; if you do that over and over…that’s how you build a good team.”
• Prediction Humor:
  Marcus Mosher (28:51): “We're talking about a game that should be like 34–28… which inevitably means we're gonna get like a 10–7 slugfest.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:34] “Kind of a must-win” for Dallas (Marcus)
• [04:41] Cowboys’ injuries, offense keeps rolling; Schottenheimer’s impact (Marcus)
• [06:31] Carolina’s wild swings, can they be consistent? (Julian)
• [09:24] Cowboys defense evaluation, “low bar” for defensive expectations (Marcus)
• [12:40] Matchups: Rico Dowdle vs. Javonte Williams (Marcus/Julian)
• [15:32] WR Showdown: McMillan vs. Pickens—and Carolina’s injury-driven draft (Marcus/Julian)
• [19:14] Derrick Brown vs. Cowboys’ backup OL (Marcus/Julian)
• [24:43] Three keys to victory, Dallas and Carolina (Marcus/Julian)
• [28:51] Prediction time—bet the over, expect points

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Conclusion & Tone

The episode blends friendly banter, sharp analysis, and realism about both teams’ flaws and strengths. Both Marcus and Julian are cautiously optimistic for a high-scoring, entertaining game, though with tempered expectations given each team’s inconsistencies. For Cowboys fans, the focus is sustaining offensive firepower despite injuries. For Panthers fans, it’s about elusive consistency and continued growth for Bryce Young.

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Summary for New Listeners:
Even if you haven’t heard the episode, you’ll come away understanding the big stakes, why the running backs and No. 1 receivers will likely decide the outcome, and how injuries have shaped both teams’ seasons. Keep an eye on turnovers, interior line play, and how well Dallas can keep humming on offense regardless of personnel. Both hosts agree: settle in, root for points, and enjoy what could be one of the weekend’s most entertaining matchups.

Transcript

[Tyler Roland]

Foreign.

[Julian Council]

Podcast network your team every day.

[Tyler Roland]

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[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Dana]

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[Marcus Moser]

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[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Julian Council]

The Panthers are looking to go back to.

[Marcus Moser]

Back and the Cowboys want to get another win on Sunday.

[Julian Council]

It's a Locked On NFL crossover Thursday here on Locked On Panthers and Locked On Cowboys.

[Marcus Moser]

You are Locked On NFL Crossover part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day.

[Julian Council]

Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Panthers and Locked On. Call let's do it again. Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Panthers and Locked On Cowboys. It's a Locked On NFL crossover Thursday. I'm Julian Counsel, the host of Lockdown Panthers. He is Marcus Moer, the host of Locked On Cowboys and we talk Panthers and Cowboys respectively every month. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Your team every day. That's our motto here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Thanks for watching our shows here on YouTube and listening wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. Crossover Thursday is presented by our friends over at Prize Picks. Download the Prize Picks app today and use code locked on NFL to get 50 in lineups after you play your first five dollar lineup to 2 and 3 Carolina Panthers 1 welcome to 2, 2 and 1 Dallas Cowboys inside Bank of America Stadium on Sunday afternoon. And Marcus, I'm excited to see how this one plays out as Carolina is looking to go back to back get the 500 and Dallas is looking to keep up that offensive momentum. How you doing my friend?

[Marcus Moser]

I'm doing well, but I hate that stupid tie. It just makes everything so much more complicated than it needs to be. But yeah, Cowboy sitting at.500 I I suppose after five games they've got an incredibly hard schedule coming up, so I don't want to say this is a game they have to win, but kind of is.

[Julian Council]

Yeah. And let's be honest, this is a game that you have to win. If you're Dallas and like for Carolina as well. When they have the jets next week, a game where certainly you're going to feel like in Carolina shoes after beating the Dolphins, also the dregs of the AFC east, that's a game that you need to win. And and then you have Buffalo at home kind of because there's going to be a ton of Bills fans in the stadium. Much like on Sunday there will be a lot of Cowboy fans, which is a pretty common theme across the league, but especially here in Carolina under David Tepper. Then after that game against Buffalo, they go to Green Bay. So they're going to have to get some wins here the next two weeks, possibly get the 4 and 3 if they're going to hold on after those games against the Bills and against the packers respectively. But looking at at storylines heading into this game for Dallas, what are some of the storylines you're looking at heading to this Sunday?

[Marcus Moser]

It's just can the Cowboys offense keep it up? They scored 37 points against the jets on the road and that was without 54% of their offensive starters. CD Lamb out. Probably not going to play this week against Carolina. You left left tackle Tyler Guyton dealing with a concussion. Tyler Smith has got a knee injury. Cooper BB is on the IR list. Tyler Booker has a high ankle sprain and yet the offense continues to put up points. Can they do it against Carolina? A defense that's not been great this year. We'll see. But Right now, Brian Schottenheimer has Dak Prescott playing some of the best football of his career.

[Julian Council]

And I gotta give Dak a lot of credit and really looking at the last couple of years, you would know better than I. But when Dax healthy, the Cowboys typically win games when Dak's not healthy. Like last year, the Cowboys, they don't win very many games, which is a lot of teams in the NFL. But that just shows just how important he is. And to see this partnership so far, Brian Schottenheimer, which I don't believe was the most inspiring hire of this past NFL hiring cycle with the head coach.

[Marcus Moser]

Julian they, they hired him at a Friday night at like 10:30 at night. So nobody would know. It's. I mean, yes, nobody was excited about this at all, but at least it's.

[Julian Council]

Working when it comes to the offense with Dak. And then defensively, yeah, Eber flu is. Oh boy, we'll figure.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, and here's the thing with Shoddy, like it's, I understand it's not the sexiest name, but they brought him in because they thought he would work well with Dak and the offense and the offense has been really good. I get concerned when head coaches are hired like as defensive specialists and they come in and their defenses get worse. Looking at you, Aaron Glenn right now with the Jets. So at least that part of the Cowboys has been good this season. Now they had a sneaker game against the Bears early in the year. Will that happen again against Carolina? We'll see. But this is a big one for the Cowboys offense to make sure that they stay on track.

[Julian Council]

And that's actually one of my headlines heading into this week about the Stinkers. Because Carolina, they had a big win a couple weeks ago, beating Atlanta 30 to nothing. And then they put up one of those aforementioned stinkers on the road against the Patriots, losing 42 to 13. Now maybe New England's good because they did go out there on Sunday Night Football and they were able to beat Buffalo. Drake May announcing himself in prime time for the first time to the NFL world. So maybe New England's actually good. I don't think they're 29 points better than Carolina, but they were on that Sunday a couple of weeks ago. So can they stop with the wild swings? I understand it's a week to week league, but it can't be week to week to the point where you're winning 30 to nothing, winning 42, losing 42 to 13, down 17 nothing, then coming back and winning that game. And also Marcus, they Played five games this season and they've been down by three scores in four of those games and somehow are sitting here at two and three.

[Marcus Moser]

And I think if you're a Panthers fan, that's what you want to see. It's more of a complete game like Bryce Young. Again, you can tell me if I'm wrong. He really struggled on Sunday until they got down. Then he came back and actually played pretty well the second half. So if you're a Panther fan, you just want to see a complete game. Luckily for the Panthers, this Cowboys defense, they'll give you some stuff on def or on that side of the ball. So I would expect this to be a, you know, one of the better Bryce Young games that we see.

[Julian Council]

Yeah, and you would hope too. And you're right. He came out there, had one of the worst fumbles you'll see. Just lost the ball. I guess he was spooked by Bradley Chub. It is spooky season here in October, so maybe he was just going with the theme with that fumble. The interception was just an overthrow targeting Xavier Legette. We've seen that in the past. But he did make some big plays to win that game. It was a fourth down in the first half where he had to evade the rush and find Tet McMillan who's been awesome so far. If they turn the ball over on downs, I believe Miami gets the ball at their own 44 and they were able to score on those relatively short fields on Sunday. So that might have been a 20 nothing, 24 nothing hole at Carolina's in and they're not digging themselves out of it. He made some plays there on the final drive where he found Legette. He was able to find Jimmy Horn Jr. Who got his debut on Sunday on fourth down found Mitchell Evans. So he. He made some bad plays but also made some good plays. We had the full gamut of Bryce Young, but another one to look at here too, just with the passing game potentially being a big Bryce Young game is Jalen Coker. David, Dave Canalis told us earlier in the week that they're gonna open up his practice window on Wednesday. That's now happened. We'll see if he's able to make his debut this season as he will fit in nicely with Legette who was able to bounce back after two rough performances throughout the season with McMullen who's looked really good and maybe finally having all three of his top receivers will make things go for Bryce. Or he'll have the struggles and people will have a referendum on him yet again. Because it can never just be a game here in Carolina when we're evaluating Bryce Young. It feels like, yeah, I'm part of.

[Marcus Moser]

The fantasy community that is a big cokehead. I. I love G and Coker. Can't check out Locked on Dynasty, we call them. You know, we're all cokeheads over there. I'm excited to see the offense. I'm excited to see the Cowboys defense that actually they felt like they put some good things on tape this week against the Jets. Was it a perfect performance? Absolutely not. But they got pressured. Dante Fowler had a really good game. The corner seemed to settle in a little bit. Was that a mirage? Was it a sign of things to come? I don't know. But this is an offense that hasn't been super dynamic, and I want to see the Cowboys put together again. If you could hold them to like 24 points, that's a huge win for Dallas. That's. That's kind of how low the bar is right now for Cowboy fans, and.

[Julian Council]

That'S how many points Carolina is averaging so far this season. We'll see how that plays out. And there are some matchups that you just brought up there, Marcus, and we'll go over some of the matchups that can change the game on Sunday. I'm Julian Counsel, the host of Lockdown Panthers. He's Marcus Moser, one of the hosts of Locked on. Cowboys will be back here in just a moment on this Locked On NFL crossover Thursday. Mazda craps cars. For those who do more than simply move from footwork to breath work, athletes sweat all the details. Mazda brings this same attention to how they craft every model. You can feel Japanese craftsmanship in every detail. From the metallic accents to available Napa leather upholstery, you can make everyday drives feel like anything. But from smooth handling to intuitive controls with all wheel drive standard in every crossover suv, you can drive with confidence through almost any season. Like our players, Mazda sweats every detail because when you make every move count, impossible becomes irrelevant. Mazda move and be moved.

[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

Jeff Bridges, why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Marcus Moser]

Wow.

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[Dana]

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[Marcus Moser]

You heard them. T Mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible trade in in any condition.

[Jeff Bridges]

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[Dana]

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[Julian Council]

Here on this Locked on NFL Crossover Thursday edition of Locked on Panthers and Locked on Cowboys. Panthers facing off against Cowboys at home on Sunday. Hoping to get to 33 or get to 500. Not 300, get to 500 and then the Cowboys, well, this is the game they got to win because their schedule moving forward is not the easiest. And now that's life being in the NFC East. But taking a look at this game, Marcus, what are some of the matchups you're looking at that you think could change the game and swing it into the Cowboys favor?

[Marcus Moser]

Usually what we do is like a wide receiver versus a cornerback or a defensive lineman against the tackle, but I'm going to change things up a little bit. Let's go to the running back position. Rico Dowdle, who is likely to start in this game for Chuba Hubbard, who is dealing with an injury right now versus Javante Williams. Now I am a huge Rico Dowdle fan. I thought the Cowboys were crazy to let him walk in free agency and learned a little bit over the weekend that Dallas didn't even offer him a deal. Like they had no interest in bringing him back. And I thought that was wild because yeah, I, I don't get it. He was so good in the second half of last year once the Cowboys finally gave him touches and not the corpse of Ezekiel Elliott, but he, he was awesome Sunday against Miami, running for over 200 yards. Meanwhile, the Cowboys signed Javante Williams, who I thought was pretty washed up. Could not have been more wrong. He's, I believe, first in the NFL in rushing yards. He's second success rate. He's averaging over five and a half yards per carry. I'm curious to see between these two running backs who performs better because likely whatever running game is better on Sunday, their team will probably win.

[Julian Council]

Yeah, absolutely. And hell, that's what football in general, man you win the line of scrimmage, you win rushing the ball, you're typically going to win games. And yeah, Rico was just awesome on Sunday. And a lot of fans have been asking me, what's up with the Panthers running game. You're bringing in Rico Dowdle, who rushed for a thousand yards, was six in rushing success rate among backs who had at least 100 carries last year. And right ahead of him ranked fifth in rushing success rate was Chuba Hubbard. You had both those guys coming off a career years, you're thinking that this is going to be a really good backfield. But so far in the season, whether it's been Carolina being behind, having some offensive line injuries, they weren't having the kind of success you expected on the ground until Sunday when Rico was busting run yards of like rushing attempts of 53 yards, where he actually said in the locker room, Marcus, after the game that he called that play. He told Brad Ick, the OC here in Carolina, hey, Brad, we don't usually run inside zone, but I want to run this play. So call it. He called it and he ran for 53 yards. And Dave Canal talking about on Monday, he's like, yeah, Brad relayed it to me. I said, okay, if you're going to ask for this play, you better make it work. Well, they made it work. Maybe guys should run a little bit more inside zone. Dave, after listening to Rico and seeing how that played out and Javante Williams, I will always be a Javonte Williams fan, being a North Carolina Tar Heel fan, as I am so really happy for Javante, who I thought would be good in the NFL. Obviously biased, but I thought he would be a good player because of his ability to break tackles, which I've seen him do so far in Dallas. But the torn ACL he suffered in Denver kind of set him back. Wasn't a Sean Payton guy. And now he's back in Dallas, where we know, you know, they like to run the ball. So he fits in perfectly there with the Cowboys. So that absolutely is a really good matchup to look at, even if it's not those guys going up against each other as far as offense versus defense.

[Marcus Moser]

And I've got another one. It's same. It's wide receiver versus wide receiver, Tetaro McMillan versus George Pickett. So if you rewind to the draft last year, The Cowboys loved McMillan. That was going to be the pick at 12. They were convinced that he was going to be available. They ran through all these mock draft scenarios and every time they did it, McMillan fell out of them at 12 and they were so excited about the possibility of pairing CD Lamb and McMillan together for the next five or six years. And then Carolina we thought was going to take a Georgia defender. Nope, they take McMillan instead. And now you know the gal. Dallas scrambled. They really needed a receiver, but they didn't love any other receivers in this class. So as soon as the draft ended within a couple days they make the trade for George Pickens. And so far Pickett's has been a revelation for them. He only caught two passes against the jets, but one of them was a long touchdown on Sauce Gardner. He already has five touchdowns this year, which matches his career high for a single season. I'm going to be fascinated to see which of these two receivers, these number one receivers in this respective game can can beat their matchup because just like Rico Daddle and Javante Williams, whatever, one of these receivers performs better, I got to believe their teams are probably going to win.

[Julian Council]

And actually that's a matchup that I have. Except I'm looking receiver versus corner because I am very curious to see how Tetero McMillan going up either against the Ron Bland or Tron Diggs, along with Xavier Leggette who came back last week, had a touchdown. Dave Canales said after the game that he was like tearing up. He was emotional because there was a lot of heat on Xavier Legad after the way he performed the first two weeks of the season. He missed two weeks because of a hamstring injury. I thought it could be beneficial for him just to have a little reset and we did see that he only had two catches, but one's a touchdown. Another one comes on a critical game winning drive there in the fourth quarter. He made an impact like you wanted to see. I want to see him take another step forward against what I think is a really good pairing of cornerbacks that you have down there in Dallas. And then with T Mac like you've been the man, like you got your Guy XL back, possibly getting Jalen Coker back this week. You're going to be the alpha in this room. Still, I'm really excited to see what he's able to do and how he does stack up against a guy like George Pickens who's extremely talented. You question his judgment sometimes, his attitude at other times, but the guy can play and kind of feels like a perfect Dallas Cowboy when you bring up even some of the things just with him and what comes with being around George Pickens. But outstanding player going back even to his days at Georgia where Guy probably gave Kirby a headache, which a lot of those guys have in recent years. But you are right, I don't think any of us expected Carolina to take McMillan, but looking at the injuries they've had and the fact that the tradeaway Adam Thielen, they really needed to take tmac and it's worked out really well for them so far.

[Marcus Moser]

It's a good reminder just to take the best players available on your board because you just never know how things are going to play out and if you do that over and over again, that's how you build a good team. One other one that I me wanted to mention really quickly, Derek Brown, who is the Panthers best defender by a mile against the Cowboys interior offensive line. So we mentioned at the top of the injuries, no Cooper BB There's Cowboys starting center Brock Hoffman will be there. I don't anticipate Tyler Booker playing in this game. So that means TJ Bass, another undrafted free agent at right guard and then at left guard we'll see on Tyler Smith, he's been dealing with knee tendonitis. I wouldn't be surprised if the Cowboys give him one more week to kind of heal up and that means they're gonna have to try to find a way to to slow down Derrick Brown and he can wreck a game. And now the Cowboys interior offensive line has played well this year even with the injuries, but that's a guy that you're worried about on every single snap.

[Julian Council]

Yeah, and you should be. And he's added a little pass rush into his bag. Had a sack on Sunday and he did sell the staff too that he wanted to be in on more pass rushing situations. Now a couple years ago when he was a Pro bowler, he played like 90 of the snap so it's not like he came off the field, but he really wanted to be in those spots where they now have a Sean Robinson. They brought in Bobby Brown iii, Turk Wharton, who missed the game last week with toe injury. They brought those guys so they could rotate more around DB and also give him a chance to get his breath fresh throughout the game. But yeah, he's a dude man, and every week he's just rag doling somebody and unfortunately this week it may be the hometown kid Brock Hoffman, who's from Statesville right up the road there on I77. Maybe a rude awakening back home or rude welcome back home here in Carolina on Sunday. But you did tell me though before we started recording this that Dallas did a pretty good job against Quinn and Williams and I would argue as Far as pass rushing ability, Quinn's a better player as an interior defensive tackle now, run stopping ability. I think that maybe Derek has the upper hand there. But they did have success, right?

[Marcus Moser]

Brock Hoffman and TJ Bass combined allowed zero pressures last week against the Jets. If you look at the last two weeks, one combined pressure between those two guys, I know they're undrafted free agents, but these are two of the better backup offensive linemen in the league. And honestly, if you told me that they were going to be starters next year, I wouldn't blink an eye at it at all. Like, I think, I think these guys are really good. They are. It's a luxury for the Cowboys to have this kind of interior offensive line depth. That doesn't mean they're going to shut down Derrick Brown. But you don't go into this game fearful of every snap because these guys have played a lot and when they play, they've played well.

[Julian Council]

And really it feels like in the NFL nowadays with the lack of just offensive lineman development and just depth across the league, you're really only as good as your backup offensive lineman at times. And you mentioned early on the show where even with all the injuries they've had, they've still been humming offensively because of guys like Brock Hoffman and even Carolina. While the offense hasn't necessarily reached the level that they want to get to having Cade Mays filling in for Austin Corbett, he's been really good for them. Brady Christensen finally got his opportunity and he helped them road great on the right side of the offensive line there on Sunday. And you still have Ikea Kwanu, they have Damian Lewis and Taylor Moten. So the Panthers been able to overcome some of those injuries. Dallas has as well, and it should be a very interesting matchup on Sunday between the Panthers and the Cowboys. And let's get into the three things that these teams need to do for Carolina. I say this often on the crossover, there's more than three things that they typically need to do to get things done. But if they're not able to put themselves in a hole, they may only need to do these three things to win. So we'll talk about some of the keys to victory here in just a moment on this Locked on NFL Crossover Thursday edition of a Locked on Panthers and Locked On Cowboys. NFL season is back and honestly, there's nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let's be honest, getting tickets can be a hassle between queues, login screens and prices jumping at checkout. It's frustrating. That's why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to the fans. Game Time is fast, easy and backed by the Game Time. Guaranteed. You'll always get 100 authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus all fees are included so the price you see is the price you pay. The app made it super simple. I could even see the exact view from my seat before buying. I love zone deals too. Pick the section, Game Time picks the seat and you save big. Honestly, it's faster, cheaper and less stressful than any other way I've bought Tickets. Download the GameTime app, create account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again. That's promo code. Lock E D O N N f l for $20 off. Swipe tap Ticket go download Game Time today. The NFL season is here and fanduel has an offer you don't want to miss right now. New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, pick a bet, put down five bucks and if it hits, you'll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love how FanDuel gives me so many ways to play. I built parlays, try player props, and even follow the live lines during games. It makes watching football games and baseball and literally everything that you watch sports wise, even more exciting when you got a little something riding on the action. Whether you're a casual fan or love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. So what are you waiting for? Visit FanDuel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. All right back here on this Locked On NFL Crossover Thursday edition of Locked on Panthers and Locked on Cowboys presented by our friends over at Prize Picks. Again, guys, download the prize app today and use code locked locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Julian Council, host of Lockdown Panthers Marcus Moser, the host of Locked On Cowboys Looking at this game on Sunday, Marcus the Cowboys are three and a half road favorites now. It will be on the road, it will be in Charlotte, but there will still be plenty of Cowboy fans in the stands here at bank of America Stadium. So we'll see what kind of advantage that gives him. And if Carolina can keep those fans quiet, get their fans on their feet and make this a hell of a ball game. Which I think it could be, I think there could be a shootout. But looking at it Three things, three keys. What are the three keys to victory for Dallas on Sunday?

[Marcus Moser]

Number one, Dak Prescott's got to play at an MVP level. And I know that's. That's going to be really hard for any quarterback to sustain that level of play game in and game out. But this is an incredibly flawed team with a lot of injuries right now, and they're asking their superstar quarterback to be a superstar. And his credit, he's done it almost every single week. So if he can play at a high level, he's going to give them a great chance to win. You've got to figure out a way to get at least a couple turnovers on defense. They're not going to stop Carolina on every possession. They're not going to hold them to 10 points. Get a couple takeaways. Dallas got a strip sack or, sorry, a fumble against Breeze hall in week five. They were able to stop the jets twice on fourth down. Those are big momentum changing plays. If the Cowboys can do that, I think they'll be just fine. In the last thing, and we say it every week, is they've got to win the special teams battle. And that is a. A part that the Cowboys have done really well with. Braden Aubrey, who might be the best kicker in the league, they've got one of the better return units with the defense still being so iffy. If you can win the offensive phase of the game and special teams, that's how you steal a game in. In Carolina.

[Julian Council]

Yeah. I think that's probably why Dallas is so good offensively, is all they got to do is get to the 50 and there's three points right there on the board. Just.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, they were, during the broadcast on, on Sunday, they were saying, you know, you start the ball at the 35 on a, you know, a touchback, right. You need just one first down and you're in Brandon Aubrey range. And that's. I mean, it's.

[Tyler Roland]

It's a.

[Marcus Moser]

It's a little exaggerated, but not really. Right. Like, no. If you can get 15, 16 yards, you are technically in field goal range. And that does help the Cowboys offense quite a bit, knowing they have that in their back pocket.

[Julian Council]

Absolutely. And I know that they're probably going to vote out to Tush Push next offseason. I'm curious what they're gonna do about these footballs, man, because these things, they are juiced and if guys are able to kick the field goals that they are from the link, like, maybe we've lost the plot a little bit. It's cool to See but it's like come on, maybe, maybe make them kick.

[Marcus Moser]

With their non dominant leg I guess. Right. Maybe a little more interesting.

[Julian Council]

Just give them the balls like they used to before the game.

[Tyler Roland]

Don't.

[Julian Council]

Don't do what you, what you're doing now. This is crazy but it's been fun to watch. I will say that as far as for Carolina, they got to keep up with Dallas offensively. I don't think to see is going to be a defensive grinded out kind of game on Sunday. Dallas is averaging 34, Carolina's averaging 24. League Panthers gonna have to or. Sorry, sorry. Dallas averaging 30, Carolina's averaging 20. But Caroline's gonna have to find a way to get to that 30 range. And you look at the Cowboys so far this season looking at EPA number one offensive. Epa dead last defensively in epa. So thank you to our friends over at True Media for those stats. So very good on offense, very bad on defense which should should offer opportunities for Carolina on Sunday. Bryce Young, when the Panthers. When, sorry, when he, when he turns the ball over, the Panthers they lose. They're 2 and 18 when Bryce Young has turned the ball over now he did it twice on Sunday. They were able to overcome that only the second time that's happened the other times last year against New Orleans. I don't think against this Cowboys team with the way Dak Prescott is playing, they're going to be able to overcome two turnovers especially in the first half and another 17 nothing hole. So Bryce has got to take care of the ball like he did against Atlanta in that win and against New England even in that blowout loss and in the last one. We talked about it earlier, the matchup between Rico Dowdle and also between Devonte Williams. Run the ball. Dallas has not been great against the run so far. They're actually dead last in success rate against the run. Defensively so far this season Carolina has been just okay. Right on the fringe of top 10 so far this year even though they've not necessarily had the success that a lot of people expected up until Sunday where Rico ran for 206 yards. He said buckle up, he's ready to go. Brian Schottenheimer has responded and said he will be buckled. So that will be a very interesting thing to watch play out on Sunday. So those are the three things I have for Carolina and of course the other keep take care of the quarterback and all the other stuff. We always talk about special teams but those are my keys for on Sunday.

[Marcus Moser]

It just feels like, I mean we're talking about a game that should be like 34 to 28 or 34 21, which inevitably means we're gonna get like a 10 to 7 slugfest, you know, during this 1pm slot. We'll see. But everything points to this being issued out.

[Julian Council]

Yeah, absolutely. And I don't. What's. Well, hold on. We got Fandor right here. What's the. The over. Over. Under is only 49 and a half. So.

[Tyler Roland]

Only.

[Julian Council]

Only.

[Marcus Moser]

Only.

[Julian Council]

I feel low to me. Yeah. So we'll see how that all plays out. But Panthers welcoming the Cowboys on Sunday. Do you have any prediction? My. My only prediction is take the over.

[Marcus Moser]

There you go. That's my prediction as well.

[Julian Council]

I think we're going to see a.

[Marcus Moser]

Lot of points and I, I would not be surprised if this is a game where maybe Carolina builds a little bit of a lead early and we see Dak Prescott, the Cowboys offense fighting back. Can't wait. Should be a fun one.

[Julian Council]

Yeah. And I talked to Panther fans about this last week. We'd find out who this team was a little bit more about them based on how they responded after loss. New England didn't look great at the beginning. It's Miami. They came back. We're able to win that game. And now with this one. Dave Canals told us back in the spring that would take four to six weeks to figure out who this team is. Well, I gave him the benefit of the doubt. You had three games on the road out of the first four weeks. Now you're going to have three home, three away. And if they get the.500 or they're two and four, we'll know who this Panthers team is. So I'm very excited to see how this game plays out and I will be there on Sunday and I'm expecting and I'm. I'm looking forward to a shootout. Yeah, that might mean people here in Carolina are like, ah, Geral Vero, gotta fire him. But sometimes it's fun to watch points on the board because Lord knows here in Carolina there have been plenty of times where points were not going on the board for them.

[Marcus Moser]

Offensively, it's probably a game between two non playoff teams. So at least, let's at least have fun, right, Julian?

[Julian Council]

Absolutely, Absolutely, definitely. One team I know for sure won't be a playoff team. Sorry Carolina Panthers fans, there's a lot they still got to figure out. But for Dallas, we'll see. Jerry still believes, which means he's probably only a few days away from doing something stupid. So we'll see how it plays out on Sunday. That's going to wrap up this Locked on NFL Crossover Thursday edition of Locked on Panthers and Locked on Cowboys again presented by our friends over at Prize Picks. Be sure to check us out here on YouTube. Subscribe and follow us wherever you listen to your favorite podcast as well. And check out Locked on NFL where you got Tyler the Madman Roland giving you a shot of espresso to start your football day, while Tony Wiggins takes you into the barbershop for the smoothest breakdowns to end the day. Find a lockdown NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast again. Julian Council Locked on Panthers Mark Exposure Locked on Cowboys As I always tell y', all, be safe, be happy and be whole. And we will talk to y' all on Friday.

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Want to try the cheese pull?

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Yeah.

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