NFL Picks 10/12 – Cowboys @ Panthers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) visit the Carolina Panthers (2-3) on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. The teams will be meeting for a third straight season in Carolina. Dallas picked up two dominant victories, winning 30-14 last season and 33-10 in 2023. The Cowboys have won three in a row overall against the Panthers dating back to the 2021 season. 

Dallas is a 3-point favorite and the total is 49.5. 

The Cowboys are coming off a decisive 37-22 victory against the winless New York Jets on the road in Week Five. Dallas broke the game open in the second quarter by scoring three unanswered touchdowns to take a 23-3 lead at halftime. The Cowboys first two scores in the second quarter consisted of drives of 90 or more yards. 

Dak Prescott was tremendous in the win finishing 18 of 29 for 237 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Second-year wideout Ryan Flournoy registered 6 catches and a career-high 114 yards for Dallas. His previous high was 41 yards. Tight end Jake Ferguson totaled 7 receptions for 49 yards and 2 touchdowns in the victory. 

Cowboys running back Javonte Williams ran for 135 yards on 16 carries and added a rushing touchdown. He also caught a four-yard touchdown from Prescott. Dallas’ defense sacked Jets quarterback Justin Fields five times and forced a Breece Hall fumble. 

Carolina picked up a 27-24 comeback victory against the Miami Dolphins at home in their previous game in Week Six. The Panthers overcame a 17-0 second quarter deficit to win it. Their 17-point comeback equaled a franchise record. Bryce Young’s touchdown pass to backup tight end Mitchell Evans with 1:59 remaining gave the Panthers a 27-24 lead and proved to be the game-winning score. 

Panthers running back Rico Dowdle rushed for a career-high 206 yards on 23 carries and added a touchdown. He also had 3 receptions for 28 yards. Bryce Young was 19 of 30 for 198 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Talented rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan finished with team highs of 6 receptions and 73 yards in the victory. 

GAME STORYLINES: DALLAS

Since being deemed “America’s Team” by NFL Films in 1978 due to their vast nationwide popularity, the Dallas Cowboys have been a constant target of intense praise or intense criticism. The boisterous actions of long-time owner Jerry Jones and the fact that the Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season has made them constant fodder for a number of sports talk shows and NFL fans for about three decades now. 

The Cowboys 2025 season began on an ominous note when they were unable to sign superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to a contract extension during the summer. The stalled negotiations eventually led to the Cowboys making the stunning decision to trade Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on August 28. Dallas received defensive tackle Kenny Clark, along with Green Bay’s first-round pick in 2026 and 2027. 

Micah Parsons agreed to a five-year, $210 million contract extension with Green Bay one day after the trade. 

After being selected 12th overall in the 2021 NFL draft (Penn State) by Dallas, Micah Parsons amassed a stellar four-year tenure with the team. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, selected to the Pro Bowl in all four seasons and was named an All-Pro in three of his four seasons with Dallas. Many expected the loss of Parsons would doom Dallas in 2025.

Dallas and Micah Parsons got to renew acquaintances quickly as the Cowboys hosted the Packers in a nationally televised Week 4 matchup on Sunday Night Football. Neither side was able to gain bragging rights due to the game ending in an explosive 40-40 tie. Parsons finished with 3 tackles and a sack in his return to Dallas. 

Dallas suffered another huge personnel loss after the season began when All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb sustained a high-ankle sprain in a 31-14 Week 3 loss at Chicago on Sept. 21. He was given a 3-to-4 week timetable to return. Lamb has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Carolina. He could return next week against Washington, which would fit within the 3-4 week recovery timetable. Lamb got off to a great start prior to the Week 3 injury exceeding the 100-yard mark in the first 2 games. He’s totaled 16 catches for 222 yards on the season.

In 2024, Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9. He registered 1,978 passing yards with 11 touchdowns to 8 interceptions while completing 64.7 percent of his passes in 8 games. Prescott has begun the 2025 season on fire passing for 1,356 yards with 10 touchdowns to 3 interceptions while completing 71.3 percent of his passes through 5 games. He has 7 touchdowns and no interceptions over the last 2 weeks without CeeDee Lamb. 

Running back Javonte Williams looks to be experiencing a breakout campaign (447 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdown, 1 receiving touchdown in 5 gms) in his debut season with the Cowboys. Dallas signed the 25-year-old North Carolina product to a modest one-year, $3 million free agent deal last March. After a promising rookie year — 903 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns across 17 games in 2021 — with the Denver Broncos in 2021, a season-ending knee injury limited him to 4 games in 2022, Williams found himself in a time-share situation with Denver in 2023 and 2024 which capped his production. 

Javonte Williams also began this season in a time-share scenario with Miles Sanders and rookie Jaydon Blue, but he has quickly emerged as Dallas’ lead running back in 2025. A season-ending left knee injury suffered by Miles Sanders in Week 4 likely solidified his lead back status for the rest of the year. 

GAME STORYLINES: CAROLINA

After finishing 7-10 in 2022 and missing the playoffs for a fifth straight season, the Carolina Panthers made the bold move of trading up 8 spots to acquire the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears. Carolina believed obtaining the first pick would allow them to select the franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since Cam Newton departed following the 2019 season. Carolina sent a trade package to Chicago that included star wideout DJ Moore, their 2023 first-round pick (9th overall), and a 2024 first-round pick. 

Unfortunately, things have not worked out as Carolina had hoped since acquiring Bryce Young. In the 2 full seasons and first 5 games of 2025 (39 games) since trading up to get the No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young has yet to develop into the superstar that Carolina envisioned. The team  has also struggled to win games. Carolina went 2-15 in 2023 and 5-12 last season. To make matters worse, Carolina finished with the NFL’s worst record in 2024, but their No. 1 overall pick went to Chicago — who went on to select a higher-rated quarterback in Caleb Williams.

Bryce Young was benched early into his second season. He regained the starting job back and ended the season on somewhat of a high note by playing well over the final 9 games as Carolina finished 4-5 after a 1-7 start. Bryce Young’s second season concluded with him passing for 2,403 yards with 15 touchdowns to 9 interceptions on 60.9 percent completions across 14 games. 

The 24-year-old Bryce Young entered the 2025 season with pretty high expectations after ending the 2024 campaign strong. After a subpar performance (18-35, 1 TD, 2 INT’s, 1 fumble) in Carolina’s season-opening 26-10 loss at Jacksonville, Young has played fairly well over the last 4 games in which the team has gone 2-2. On the season, he’s passed for 951 yards with 7 touchdowns to 4 interceptions while completing 60.9 percent of his passes. Young is showing glimpses of becoming the franchise quarterback that many projected for him prior to the 2023 NFL draft. 

On offense, rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan (24 catches, 351 receiving yards in 5 gms) along with the running back tandem of Chuba Hubbard (217 rushing yards, 94 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns in 4 gms) and Rico Dowdle (289 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards, 2 rushing touchdowns in 5 gms) appear to be the standouts. 

Rico Dowdle finished with a whopping 206 rushing yards last week in place of an injured Chuba Hubbard (calf) last week. Hubbard will also miss Sunday’s game against Dallas, meaning Dowdle will get a chance to start against his former team. Dowdle (1,079) and Hubbard (1,195) both eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season. They could make a strong 1-2 combo as the season goes on.  

Carolina selected the 6-foot-5 Tetairoa McMillan with 8th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft out of Arizona. He’s been excellent as a rookie leading the team in catches and receiving yards by a pretty wide margin. The 22-year-old McMillan seems to have already developed a good chemistry with Bryce Young. Having a potential All-Pro wideout may be the key to unlocking Young’s potential.

THE PICK: COWBOYS (-3)

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott enters Sunday’s game red-hot and I think he continues his tremendous play against Carolina’s porous defense. Dallas has also dominated Carolina of late. Lay the Points…Cowboys 30, Panthers 20