The Panthers are undefeated, but things can shake up quickly if they fail to beat the Dallas Cowboys. While the NFC South is very much in their grasps, they cannot afford to lose momentum as other teams begin to improve. The Panthers have been one of the surprises of the season as they have yet to be truly challenged and they are hopeful to keep that alive as they face off against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
The Panthers are thriving and it is all because of Cam Newton and the MVP season he is putting together. The quarterback is preparing to go up against a Cowboys defense that has not been the most consistent unit of all time. Newton has been doing much of everything this season, but he will need the best from his role players if he intends to keep the wins coming. Kelvin Benjamin is coming off a big game in his first start and appears to be maturing as a wide receiver. Greg Olsen will also be looking to have a big game. The tight end has six touchdown catches in his past four games as he prepares to beat the Cowboys and the win streak alive.
The Cowboys like their odds. The team enters the Thanksgiving Day game against the Panthers as favorites to get the win. The return of Tony Romo has hope high for the team. The quarterback came back in Week 11 to get a win following a lengthy stint with a collarbone injury. The Cowboys suffered seven losses in his absence, but his return sparked the offense for a win last week. That is main reason the Cowboys believe they can be the team that upsets the Panthers and shakes up the NFC East.Heading into this game, Darren McFadden and Dez Bryant will be the two biggest keys for the Cowboys. Both players are healthy and ready for big plays. The running back rotation has had plenty of question marks this season for Dallas, but over the past few weeks McFadden has been the stabalizing threat to that along with Robert Turbin. Bryant along with Terrance Williams will try and take advantage of a Panthers secondary that has not given up too many big plays all season. They will have to watch out for Greg Hardy who faces off against the Panthers for the first time since his release.
The NFC East is still very much up for grabs as the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants remain inconsistent on the season. The Dallas Cowboys are trying to take advantage of that as the team has new found confidence since the return of several players from injuries. They will try and use that to their advantage as they aim to be the first team to hand the Carolina Panthers a loss this year.