season with a 16-8 win against the Dallas Cowboys http://www.thecowboysfootballauthentic.com/jeff-heath-jersey-authentic , it did not come without a cost.Three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen spent the second half watching the game from the sideline on crutches with his right foot in a boot r12; the same foot he fractured in 2017 causing him to miss nine games. Later in the game, second-team All-Pro right tackle Daryl Williams was carted off with a knee injury and did not return.Panthers coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney offered no immediate updates Monday on the extent of the injuries."I've told you this, and I'll tell you again: I have not talked to RV (head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion)," Rivera said Monday. "I usually wait until after this (news conference). It's a question I'm not going to answer. I don't know (the extent of the injury), to be honest with you."The Panthers are expected to turn to rookie Ian Thomas to start Sunday at tight end against Atlanta, while Amini Silatolu will likely fill in at right tackle.The Panthers are high on Thomas, who they think has the combination of receiving and blocking skills to be a good fit in their offense, even though he only played two seasons of major college football at Indiana."I think he's pretty well prepared," Rivera said. "There are some things, obviously, that he still has to learn and he has a long way to go in terms of having the natural feel that Greg has and having that rapport Greg has."He's been good with his blocking, he's been good with his route running, he's been good with his receiving. But he's got to get better as a route runner, a blocker and a receiver. He's a young guy. There's a lot to his game he's got to learn."When the Panthers drafted Thomas with the first pick in the fourth round this year they did so with the idea of bringing him along slowly and learning behind Olsen.He was a project, more or less.But now everything has been fast-tracked."It's like going right into the fire and playing right away http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/tyrone-crawford-jersey-cheap ," Thomas said. "Learning from my mistakes every play. I played two years of college football but I guess now is my time to get all of the kinks out."Thomas said he spoke to several teams before the NFL draft and walked away feeling that some of them felt like he wasn't a good blocker. He disagrees and is out to change that image."I felt like I have gotten much better over the last few months," Thomas said.As for Williams, he dislocated his kneecap and tore the medial collateral ligament in training camp but managed to return for the season opener, which was no small feat. But he injured the same knee against the Cowboys when he got hit there by another player's helmet.Silatolu, who had pretty much won the starting left guard spot before his own knee injury in preseason, will test his ware at the tackle spot if called upon to start.Cowboys vs. Panthers: Five things to watch in the game The Dallas Cowboys will be playing football on Sunday in a real game that will count in the standings. Can you believe it? The time has finally arrived. The Cowboys will square off with their first NFC South team as they travel to Carolina to face the Panthers. The last time these teams met was in 2015 and the Panthers gave the Cowboys a 33-14 Thanksgiving beat-down. Carolina came into that game 10-0 and finished 15-1 en route to a Super Bowl appearance.The Cowboys are hoping for different results this time as they look to get off to a good start in 2018. Itr17;s should be a great game as these teams are evenly matched, but what are some things that could be the difference maker? Here are five things to watch when these two teams square off.Panthers DTr17;s vs. Cowboys interior OLThe Cowboys were going to have their hands full with the Panthers stud defensive tackles Dontari Poe and Kawaan Short no matter what, but the absence of All Pro center Travis Frederick is going to make it that much more challenging. Backup center Joe Looney has been solid in relief, but when you consider that her17;ll have rookie Connor Williams on his left, that can create a cause for concern for Cowboys fans as they fend off two former Pro Bowlers.The offensive line is such an important part of the Cowboys success. They need it working to get Ezekiel Elliott going and they need it to keep Dak Prescott upright. Winning the battle in the trenches is going to be key for Dallas on Sunday.Which will effectively influence...Cowboys first-down efficiencyThere is no secret that the Cowboys are going to employ a heavy does of the running game. Keeping quarterback Dak Prescott in manageable down-and-distance situations is going to be imperative and the Cowboys offense will need to win on early downs to make that possible. With the tough defensive front of Carolina, itr17;s going to be difficult for the Cowboys to move the pile. Dallas will need to work in some bootleg tosses, play-action, and quick passes in order to keep the Panthers from overloading against the run.If the Cowboys get stuffed early or have some negative plays that put them behind the chains, then their offense could be forced to play uphill. Itr17;s going to be important for the Cowboys to be efficient on first down.Randy Gregory vs. Taylor MotonThe Panthers offensive line is beat up as several key starters are battling injuries. One of those key starters is left tackle Matt Kalil who was selected fourth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft (by Minnesota). On Tuesday, the Panthers put Kalil on injured reserve Youth Allen Hurns Jersey , making him unavailable to them for the first half of the season.That leaves second-year tackle Taylor Moton to protect Cam Newtonr17;s blindside. While Panthers fans are pleased with the progress of last yearr17;s second-round pick, Moton is very inexperienced and only played five snaps last year.Opposing Moton will be another second-round pick who doesnr17;t have a whole lot of playing experience himself - Randy Gregory. However, the Cowboys young edge rusher has hit the ground running once he was reinstated by the league and her17;s ready to show the world what he can do. This will be an interesting battle to keep an eye on as how well these players perform will have a huge affect on how successful these teams can be this season.Double-down on double-deuceChristian McCaffrey can be explosive when he gets in space and the Cowboys defense will need watch this guy carefully. McCaffrey can beat you as a running back, but her17;s even more dangerous catching passes as the majority of his 1,000+ scrimmage yards last season came as a receiver. With Panthers coach Ron Rivera indicating that McCaffrey will get a heavy amount of touches, this could open things up for the second-year running back to have a big season.The Cowboys will counter that with the great explosiveness of All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee. And with the improved movement from Jaylon Smith, the defense has a good core group of players who can go after the ball carrier. When it comes to McCaffrey, the Cowboys better allocate an extra defender to track his whereabouts. Her17;s a slippery littler sucker and if they donr17;t have an insurance policy in place when one guy misses, it could turn into a big play for Carolina.The rookie receiversThe Cowboys didnr17;t select fan-favorite D.J. Moore in the first round, but the Panthers did. Dallas opted to wait until the third round to draft their new wide receiver when they selected Michael Gallup with the 81st overall pick. How well will these young receivers fan in their NFL debut?Devin Funchess is the Panthers top receiving threat at the moment, but with with the talent of Moore, itr17;s only a matter of time before he starts becoming more involved in the offense. Cam Newton has a big arm and if Moore gets loose deep down field, it could result in a big play for the Panthers offense.The Cowboys have an assortment of receivers and could end up dressing all six of them on the roster. Itr17;s unclear what Gallupr17;s role will be, but he developed some nice chemistry with Prescott in training camp. Can the rookie makes a splash in his first NFL game?What will you be watching on Sunday?
