ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' defense allowed 294 yards, one touchdown and four field goals against Carolina.
If you just study the stats, the defense appeared to play pretty well. The reality is it didn’t.
It didn't force a turnover, and Carolina converted eight-of-16 third downs, which is among the reasons the Panthers kept the ball for 35 minutes.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton completed 16 of 27 passes for 183 yards and ran 12 times for 45 yards as he controlled the flow of the game.
More important, he never made a mistake that allowed the Cowboys to create momentum.