Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns and the Dallas Cowboys benefitted from two scores in a 10-second span early in the fourth quarter to defeat the Carolina Panthers 33-10 on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte, N.C.
Tony Pollard ran for a touchdown and finished with 61 rushing yards on 12 carries as Dallas (7-3) won for the fourth time its last five games.
The Panthers (1-9) threatened to make it interesting, pulling to within 17-10, before Pollard’s 21-yard touchdown run with 13:58 left. On Carolina’s next snap, DaRon Bland intercepted Bryce Young and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
Opponents have returned three interceptions for touchdowns in Carolina’s last two home games.
Prescott finished 25 of 38 for 189 yards.
Young, the overall first-round draft choice in the spring, was 16 of 29 for 123 yards with a touchdown. Adam Thielen had eight catches for 74 yards to deliver a healthy chunk of Carolina’s 187 yards of total offense.
The Panthers pulled within 17-10 with a 17-play drive that consumed nearly nine minutes. It ended on Young’s 4-yard pass to Tommy Tremble with 1:59 left in the third quarter. Carolina’s drive benefitted from a Dallas penalty for running into the punter and three fourth-down conversions.
Dallas went up in the first quarter on Prescott’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker.
The Cowboys then put together a 12-play drive – aided by a defensive pass interference penalty and horse-collar tackle infraction on the Panthers — that resulted in Brandon Aubrey’s 30-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The Panthers had a pair of 10-play possessions in the first half, although those produced 41 and 50 yards, respectively. The second of those resulted in Eddy Pineiro’s 42-yard field goal with 1:56 left in the half.
But the Cowboys moved quickly and grabbed at 17-3 with 24 seconds remaining in the half on Prescott’s 5-yard toss to CeeDee Lamb.
Prescott threw 27 passes in the first half.
–Field Level Media
