I’ve always maintained that the Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1990s came to a crashing halt at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in that divisional-round playoff loss in January of 1997. Although Dallas would appear again as a wild-card participant a few more times with remnants of the Triplets to close out the decade, the dominance was gone. They were largely living off reputation, ghosts of their former glory.
Now, as they prepare for their Week 6 trip to Charlotte, that memory floods back again. The opponent is the same, but the energy around Carolina feels different.
On the bright side for Dallas, the offense is humming. The Cowboys are potent, statistically elite in nearly every meaningful category. Dak Prescott has thrown seven touchdowns over the past two weeks and hasn’t tossed an interception since facing the Bears at Soldier Field. Sunday should be an opportunity to string some wins together, but this isn’t the same Panthers team Dallas rolled past last December.
schotty on the balance of the team ⚖️#DallasCowboys | @BankofAmerica pic.twitter.com/wA77GIkm6T
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 6, 2025
The primary reason for that is Bryce Young. The second-year quarterback is beginning to figure it out, just ask the Miami Dolphins, who watched a 17-point lead vanish last Sunday.
I spoke with Anish Shroff, the voice of the Panthers, about Young’s progress and this looming matchup.
Craig: Is there a belief that “finally” Bryce has turned the corner, and the Miami win can serve as a springboard?
Anish: “Bryce proved last year that he could handle adversity. When he was benched in week two a season ago in favor of Andy Dalton, guys really took notice of what he did behind the scenes. There was no pouting, he just went to work. As a backup, he ran the scout team and did all the things that were required, and it resonated with the guys in the locker room.”
Craig: You mentioned adversity—it’s not just last season, the start to this one was a little shaky as well.
Anish: “The start to this year was a little bumpy with the five turnovers over the course of the first two games, but we’ve learned that this kid is tough.”
Craig: What about Dallas? What do you expect from the Panthers?
Anish: “They’ll have a challenge. This was a defense that forced Miami a week ago to punt five straight times. Dallas is rolling right now with the number one offense in the NFL. Bryce is going to have an opportunity against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Teams last year forced Bryce to beat them, and they’d sell out against the run and stack the line. Now, there are positive signs and progress, and the next step is consistency. They have an opportunity here against Dallas and also have a winnable game in a few weeks against the Jets.”
For Dallas, the ghosts of 1997 won’t matter come kickoff, but in Carolina, they still whisper just loud enough to remind the Cowboys of what once was.
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