Dallas
Cowboys
3-2
19
FINAL
21
Carolina
Panthers
5-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round matchup, the Carolina Panthers narrowly defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-19, securing their place in the next round of the playoffs. With both teams fighting tooth and nail, the stakes were high, and the Panthers emerged victorious in a game filled with momentum shifts and critical plays.
Bryce Young showcased his talent, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Panthers' offense with poise and precision. His primary target, Darren Waller, made a significant impact with 65 receiving yards, while Jonathon Brooks contributed on the ground with 52 rushing yards, helping to keep the chains moving and the defense guessing.
Defensively, the Panthers were formidable, with Jaelan Phillips recording two sacks that disrupted the Cowboys' offensive rhythm. The game's turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Young connected with Waller for a crucial touchdown, sealing the win. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' Bobby Okereke led the defense with eight total tackles, but ultimately, the Panthers' ability to apply pressure and create key stops made the difference in this hard-fought battle.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Young | QB | 38 | 27 | 71% | 249 | 2 | 1 | 95.1 |
| Dak Prescott | QB | 22 | 14 | 64% | 138 | 1 | 0 | 96.4 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 26 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 18 | 48 | 2.7 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Javonte Williams | HB | 13 | 43 | 3.3 | 17 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 8 | 38 | 4.8 | — | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaydon Blue | HB | 6 | 13 | 2.2 | — | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Pickens | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dak Prescott | QB | 3 | -1 | -0.3 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darren Waller | TE | 6 | 65 | 10.8 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 5 | 64 | 12.8 | 8 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| George Pickens | WR | 3 | 39 | 13.0 | 7 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 5 | 36 | 7.2 | 9 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| KaVontae Turpin | WR | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Jake Ferguson | TE | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Ryan Flournoy | WR | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 4 | 14 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Jaydon Blue | HB | 3 | 13 | 4.3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| CeeDee Lamb | WR | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Javonte Williams | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | REDG | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cobie Durant | CB | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Simmons | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | MIKE | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaRon Bland | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeMarvion Overshown | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dee Winters | WILL | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | DT | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Caleb Downs | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaishawn Barham | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Thompson | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Scott | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claudin Cherelus | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malachi Lawrence | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Hooker | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LT Overton | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenny Clark | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rashan Gary | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maema Njongmeta | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevin Wallace | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Von Miller | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar James | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shavon Revel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quinnen Williams | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derion Kendrick | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Brandon Aubrey | K | 1 | 1 | 2 | 44 |

