FRISCO, Texas – In Sunday’s matchup against the Panthers, the Cowboys offensive line will have a couple of new faces: Center Joe Looney will have his first start in the regular season since 2016, after Travis Frederick’s recent diagnosis with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and former Texas Longhorn Connor Williams will make his first debut as a guard in the NFL. The biggest question is how the Cowboys will be able to hold off the Panthers up the middle.
During this week’s practice, Ezekiel Elliott remarked, “ The offensive line is the hardest working group on the team. The way they work carries over to how we perform on the field on Sundays. I have trust in all those guys. “
Dallas will continue with their most physical attack: the ground game with their star rusher Ezekiel Elliott free from distraction. Rod Smith and versatile receiver Tavon Austin will be there to take some of the pressure off Elliott in the running game. Dak Prescott will have new weapons in the passing game to target in critical situations – Allen Hurns and Michael Gallup.
The last time these two teams met in 2015 on Thanksgiving, former quarterback Tony Romo re-injured his collarbone and was out for the season. Panther’s linebacker Luke Kuechly anticipated what the Cowboys offense was going to do at the line of scrimmage and called out the Cowboy’s own plays. Carolina won 33-14.
Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan addressed the media “ When you play outside of the division there is a lot of unknowns about the opponent because you have not played them. It has been awhile since we have played Carolina. It is unique to each year’s game but everybody has their summer projects and game plans. They aren’t showing until the opener. You have to trust what you coach and what you are doing and go out and execute.”
The Cowboys offense went through a transitional off-season, and a lot of questions will be answered on Sunday in their first regular season game in 2018.
