The Panthers could have gone into halftime with just a one-point lead, but they couldn’t pull themselves out.
At halftime, the Cowboys led 17-3.
The Panthers hurt themselves with three undisciplined penalties on third-and-long.
Panthers safety Xavier Woods, a former Cowboy, wore a face mask and a horse collar on the same play on third-and-19 and helped set up Brandon Aubrey’s field goal.
On the Cowboys’ final drive of the first half, with the Panthers trailing just 10-3, Carolina kicked off from wide. But the Panthers stopped Dallas twice on third down before penalties extended possession. On third-and-10 from the Carolina 41, Dak Prescott slipped after running 3 yards. Linebacker Amare Bano inexplicably ran into the Cowboys quarterback who was sliding. Then, on third-and-16, Prescott threw a 10-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb, and Deshaun Williams finished off the Cowboys player after the whistle.
Lamb scored on a 5-yard pass from Prescott.
Prescott completed 16 of 27 for 126 yards and two touchdowns. He completed an 18-yard scoring toss to rookie Luke Schoonmaker.
Tony Pollard gained 35 yards on nine carries.
The Cowboys had three sacks, including two by Micah Parsons, all on third down. There are also 9 pressures.
The Panthers gained 107 yards, with Bryce Young going 5-of-10 for 48 yards.