Free Pick: Carolina (3-0) at Dallas (2-1) 10/3/21

The upstart Panthers come into town with a sparking 3-0 record and a lot of people are doubting the validity of their start. Their best win has come against New Orleans and the Saints have beaten Green Bay and New England. So, based on that, the Panthers have a good win under their belt. The Cowboys are 2-1 and the loss came in Tampa Bay against the Super Bowl champions. They are playing very well, especially on offense, but they can’t afford to overlook this Carolina team. Here’s a look at the matchups.

Quarterback: Dallas quarterback, Dak Prescott has been outstanding through the first 3 games. He is completing 78% of his passes for 878 yards and 6 touchdowns. He might be playing better than anyone in the NFL at this time. In Carolina, the Sam Darnold experiment is clearly working. He has completed 73 out of 107 for 888 yards and 3 touchdowns. Advantage: Dallas

Running Backs: Carolina is led by do-everything Christian McCaffrey who has rushed for 201 yards in three games. The Cowboys counter with the one-two punch of Ezekiel Elliott (199 yards and 3 touchdowns) and emerging star, Tony Pollard 183 yards on only 27 carries. Advantage: Dallas

Receivers: Dallas might have the best set of receivers in the league. CeeDee Lamb (18 catches for 251 yards) is becoming a superstar, Amari Cooper (19 for 189) already is one, and tight end, Dalton Schultz (14 for 143) is a nice compliment. The Panthers will attempt to counter with DJ Moore, who is off to a great start (22 receptions for 285 yards) and McCaffrey (16 for 163). Advantage: Dallas

Defense: Carolina has clearly had the best defense of the two. They are allowing opponents only 45 rushing yards per game and an astounding 146 passing yards. However, this is the best offense they have faced and they will be tested by the skill and talent that the Cowboy’s possess. The Cowboys have a leaky pass defense allowing 334 yards per game through the air. The Panthers have the capability to exploit the secondary of the Cowboys. Advantage: Carolina

This is a very interesting matchup and we should learn a lot about Carolina in this one. They have been excellent on defense and Darnold has impressive stats. Dallas has the offense that should be able to have success on anyone and there defense is improving but is not at a high level yet. With a win, both teams will get an early stranglehold on their division. Dallas is a 5 point favorite.

DUDES WHO BET SPORTS PICK: Dallas -5 Confidence Level 7 out of 10