The undefeated Carolina Panthers travel to AT&T Stadium on Thursday, as the Dallas Cowboys host their annual Thanksgiving Day game. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera will look for his squad to pick up their 11th win of the season in Arlington. The Cowboys ended their seven game losing streak on Sunday, and the return of quarterback Tony Romo has this team hopeful of making a run down the stretch.
The Cowboys are undefeated when Tony Romo has started this season, but Romo struggled in his return on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys franchise quarterback managed 227 yards on Sunday, but threw two touchdowns to two interceptions. Head coach Jason Garrett will look to establish a strong ground game against the Panthers on Thursday, as that will open up the passing game for Romo.
Running back Darren McFadden leads the team in rushing yards this season, and is averaging 3.9 yards per carry. McFadden has rushed for 623 yards on the year, and is coming off one of his best games of the season against Miami. The Cowboys lead running back rushed for 129 yards, and caught three passes for 20 yards against the Dolphins on Sunday. Garrett will give McFadden plenty of snaps early, as he can set the tone for the Cowboys offense.
While McFadden and Romo will look to get Dallas' offense going on Thanksgiving, they face arguably their toughest challenge yet in the Panthers defense. Carolina's defense is ranked fourth in the league in terms of yards given up per game. Linebacker Thomas Davis is the leader on the field for Carolina, and leads the team in tackles with 69 on the season. The Panthers veteran linebacker has three sacks, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles.
The Panthers defense is the strength of this team, but quarterback Cam Newton and Carolina's offense have been dominant this season. The Panthers scored 44 points this past Sunday against the Washington Redskins, and Newton threw a career-high five touchdowns passes. Newton is having his best season as the Panthers starting quarterback, and has thrown 20 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is Newton's favorite target, and can be a challenge for any defense to cover. Olsen has 718 receiving yards this season and has scored six touchdowns. The Panthers star tight end will look to be heavily involved on Thursday, as he is a big part of Carolina's offense.
It looks to be an interesting Thanksgiving matchup between an undefeated team and a team that is trying to salvage their season. The game starts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, and you can watch the live broadcast here. To listen to the Panthers' radio broadcast, click here, and for the Cowboys' radio broadcast, go here.
