The Panthers held off the Cowboys 16-8 in a defensive struggle in Charlotte Sunday, but the win may prove costly, as Greg Olsen left the game with an injury and did not return.
Olsen went to locker room early in second quarter with a foot injury. The Pro Bowl tight end, who missed nine games last season after breaking his right foot, appeared on the sideline later on crutches, with a walking boot on the same foot.
Greg Olsen on the sidelines with a boot on his right foot and crutches. That’s the foot he had surgery on last season pic.twitter.com/VpC5s25Y1j
— Kelsey Riggs (@KelseyRiggsWCNC) September 9, 2018
The Panthers suffered another scary moment later in the game, when middle linebacker Luke Kuechly went down late in the fourth quarter, appearing to hurt his leg while tackling Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. The Panthers middle linebacker sat on the field for a moment before heading to the sideline, but he returned during the same drive, and later said he was OK.
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Both teams struggled to get their offenses going for much of the game. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton opened the scoring, capping a 7-play, 35-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter. An earlier Carolina drive died at the Cowboys five-yard line when running back Christian McCaffrey lost a fumble. The Panthers carried a 10-0 lead into halftime.
The Cowboys' first chance to score came late in the third quarter, when rookie kicker Brett Maher's 47-yard field goal went wide right.
The Panthers took a 16-0 lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter on a one-yard TD plunge by fullback Alex Armah.
The Dallas offense finally came to life on their next possession. Dak Prescott and Elliott keyed a 10-play, 75-yard TD drive, capped by a four-yard scamper by Elliott into the end zone. Prescott scored the 2-point conversion on a draw play to make it a one-possession game.
From there, the Cowboys had two more possessions, but came up empty. On the first, Prescott couldn't connect with Deonte Thompson on a pass on 4th-and-10 near midfield with 2:18 remaining.
Dallas had one final chance, taking the ball on their own 20 with plenty of time remaining (1:51) but lots of ground to cover. On third down, Carolina defensive end Mario Addison stripped the ball from Prescott and the Panthers recovered to seal the win.
Mario Addison sack, forced fumble. Panthers will win the home-opener pic.twitter.com/Pu5rx3BZrP
— Panthers 24/7 (@Panthers24_7) September 9, 2018
Both defenses played well. The Panthers gained 293 total yards, the Cowboys 232. The Panthers sacked Prescott six times. He finished 19-of-29 passing for 170 yards.
Cam Newton, working behind a patched-up offensive line, was efficient, finishing 17-of-26 for 161 yards, but most of those were on short patterns.
McCaffrey, expected to shoulder a heavier load this season, had 95 yards from scrimmage (50 rushing, 45 receiving). After being bottled up in the first half, Elliott found some running room, finishing with 15 rushes for 69 yards and that touchdown, along with three catches for 17 yards.