The Panthers came into this game as an underdog despite being one of the few undefeated teams left in the league through the first three weeks of the season. They faced some adversity for the first time in 2021 after allowing the Cowboys to score the first points of the game, but the offense responded immediately with a touchdown drive of their own to tie the game at 7-7.
The defense struggled at times to contain the Cowboys offense — and were also fighting against bad calls from officials that somehow always benefited Dallas — and once again found themselves behind on the scoreboard in the second quarter.