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Heading into the Week 4 showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the undefeated Carolina Panthers, the only defense we talked about was Carolina. The Panthers entered the game allowing the fewest passing yards in the NFL, the fewest rushing yards and had dominated their way to a 3-0 start. The Panthers’ defense was expected to dominate on Sunday, but it was more the Cowboys’ defense that put on the show in Dallas’ very impressive 36-28 win.
Last year the Cowboys fielded one of the worst defenses in football, but now it feels like ages ago thanks to Dan Quinn, who completely revamped the unit. Under Quinn’s leadership, the Cowboys have quietly become one of the best defenses in football and their improvement has been fully demonstrated against the Panthers.
The Panthers tried to throw the ball early and often, but that shot exploded in their face thanks to a surprisingly impressive Cowboys passing run that had Sam Darnold running for his life for most of the four quarters. The Cowboys registered five sacks in the game, marking the first time since 2019 that they have reached that number. The pass rush was led by Randy Gregory, who was only playing his second game this season due to COVID-19 issues.
Even when the Cowboys weren’t sacking Darnold, they still gave him fits as they squeezed him more than 10 times. This pressure caused Darnold to rush several shots, including two in the second half that led to two different interceptions from Trevon Diggs. You can see his second below.
Both Diggs’ picks came in a dominating third quarter where the Cowboys outscored the Panthers 20-0. After trailing 14-13 at halftime, the Cowboys entered the fourth quarter with a comfortable 33-14 lead.
Diggs’ interceptions played a huge role in the dominant quarterback as the Cowboys ended up turning both picks into 10 points.
The Cowboys also had a stellar performance off their offense – Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and the attack on the ground totaled over 240 yards for the sixth time this century – but we’re talking about defense because nobody’s talking about it. saw it coming.
With Prescott returning this season, everyone expected the Cowboys to have a strong offense, but no one expected their defense to be this good, this quick. If the defense continues to play at the level they play, the Cowboys could end up clinching the NFC East title.
Okay, let’s move on to the ratings for each Week 4 game. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the Bengals’ wild 24-21 win over the Jaguars that came on Thursday, be sure to click here.
Dallas 36-28 vs. Carolina
The Panthers-Cowboys Notes by Patrik Walker (Love notes? Hate notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
LA Chargers 28-14 v Las Vegas (Monday)
Indianapolis 27-17 vs. Miami
Chicago 24-14 vs. Detroit
Buffalo 40-0 vs. Houston
Washington 34-30 vs. Atlanta
NY Giants 27-21 vs New Orleans (OT)
NY Jets 27-24 over Tennessee (OT)
Kansas City 42-30 vs. Philadelphia
Jeff Kerr’s Chargers-Chiefs Notes (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Cleveland 14-7 v Minnesota
Browns-Vikings Notes by Josh Edwards (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Seattle 28-21 vs. San Francisco
Arizona 37-20 vs. LA Rams
Cardinals-Rams Notes by Cody Benjamin (Love notes? Hate notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 23-7 vs. Denver
Ravens-Broncos Notes by Jordan Dajani (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Green Bay 27-17 over Pittsburgh
The Steelers-Packers Notes by Bryan DeArdo (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tampa Bay 19-17 vs New England
Buccaneers-Patriots Notes by Bryan DeArdo (Love Notes? Hate Notes? Let him know on Twitter.)
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