CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers (3-3) and Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1) furiously traded big plays and points on Sunday in a back-and-forth battle that led to a 30-27 win for the home team at Bank of America Stadium.

Quarterback Bryce Young and running back Rico Dowdle powered an offensive onslaught for Carolina, as Dallas used the connection of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver George Pickens to put consistent points on the board.

It might not have felt like much of a home game — because of the notable influx of Cowboys fans in the stadium — but Dave Canales’ crew finished the Week 6 matchup with a 3-0 home record.

The Panthers have won two consecutive games for the first time in 2025. It is the second winning streak of the Canales era.

Here are five immediate takeaways from Sunday’s game:

Young steps up in a big way after offense’s early gaffe

Young has dealt with plenty of scrutiny regarding his early turnovers during the first five weeks of the season. In Week 6, his only first-half turnover wasn’t even his fault.

After connecting with first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan on a third-down conversion in the first half, Young targeted the rookie wideout on the following first-down play. Young placed an accurate pass to McMillan on a slant route, but the ball bounced off McMillan’s hands. After the ball hit McMillan’s hands, it floated into the mitts of Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson for an interception. Wilson returned the ball for 21 yards before being stopped in Carolina territory. Dowdle was also penalized for unnecessary roughness after the play.

The turnover, compounded by a personal foul penalty, led to a quick touchdown drive for the Cowboys. Seven of Young’s eight turnovers this season have resulted in points for the opposing team. And while the pick wasn’t Young’s fault, it is still credited to his resume.

But Young, as he as prone to do, bounced back from the early adversity. The quarterback led a pair of scoring drives — including a touchdown-scoring series as an answer to the turnover-fueled touchdown score by Dallas — to end the first half.

When the Panthers received the ball to begin the third quarter, Young kept his foot on the gas. He connected with rookie wideout Jimmy Horn Jr. on a 34-yard completion to begin the second half. He then hit Dowdle for a 36-yard touchdown strike to cap the series. Young kept his eyes down the field and got solid protection as he made the pair of deep heaves. The Dowdle completion put the Panthers up 20-17 one drive into the third quarter.

After the Cowboys scored another passing touchdown to retake the lead, the Panthers came storming back with another Young-led touchdown drive of their own. With the running game churning up the turf, Young was able to take advantage with a second touchdown toss to McMillan for a two-yard score in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied within the final five minutes, Young led a 15-play, 71-yard field goal drive to win the game. The 33-yard field goal clinched the first winning streak of the 2025 season. And the team’s first .500 record since Week 10 of 2021.

Young finished the game with a 114.8 passer rating. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 199 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He led six scoring drives.

Dowdle delivers on his promise for a revenge game

Last season, Dowdle led the Cowboys with 1,079 rushing yards. But Dallas let him walk in free agency, and he settled for a one-year contract with Carolina as Chuba Hubbard’s primary backup.

The Cowboys replaced Dowdle with the combination of Javonte Williams and former Panthers running back Miles Sanders. Williams produced 29 rushing yards and five receiving yards on Sunday, while Sanders was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.

Dowdle, though, took advantage of his “revenge game” opportunity. Dowdle said earlier in the week that the Cowboys needed to “buckle up” when they faced him. Well, on Sunday, Dowdle took the Cowboys’ defense on a ride down the field several times.

Along with his 36-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, Dowdle blazed through the Cowboys’ defensive front with ease all afternoon. He had several explosive runs, and he eclipsed 100 yards early in the second half.

Dowdle finished the game with 183 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown in his second game as the primary running back. With Hubbard nursing a calf injury, Dowdle was a certified workhorse in the backfield.

Dowdle has collected more than 200 scrimmage yards in each of his two starts over the past two weeks.

Cowboys pass at will on Panthers’ defense

While the Carolina defense continued to do a swell job against the run for the second consecutive weekend, the coverage unit left a lot to be desired against Prescott and the Cowboys’ aerial attack.

Prescott completed 14 of 18 throws in the first half for 137 yards and two touchdowns. His first-half pass rating was a pretty 135.4. Both of the scores came on wide open throws to big-bodied pass-catchers, fullback Hunter Luepke and tight end Jake Ferguson.

Pickens aided the passing game with five catches for 74 yards in the first half. His highlight of the first two quarters was a catch over cornerback Jaycee Horn. Horn was called for holding, but the penalty didn’t matter, as Pickens ran past the cornerback before leaping over safety Nick Scott for a 31-yard gain that put the Cowboys on the cusp of the end zone for their first touchdown.

The Prescott-Pickens connection continued to strike in the second half. Prescott, following a questionable roughing the passer penalty, targeted Pickens on a pair of big plays, including a 34-yard catch-and-run score to put the Cowboys up 24-20 with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Pickens caught a pass around the 26-yard line and blazed past cornerback Mike Jackson on an awkward angle for the score.

In the fourth quarter, Pickens broke free from another faulty Jackson tackle attempt for a 45-yard gain. In a back-and-forth scoring bonanza, Pickens was the Cowboys’ answer for Dowdle’s runaway success.

Pickens finished the game with nine catches for 168 yards and a touchdown. Prescott completed 25 of 34 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott led five scoring drives.

Despite the lack of success against the Dallas passing attack, Carolina held the Cowboys to just 31 rushing yards on the day.

McMillan bounces back from disaster

McMillan’s first-quarter drop led to Young’s fifth interception of the season. The turnover also led to an easy touchdown drive for Dallas.

Despite that big blunder, McMillan bounced back with his first career touchdown on the next series. The 6-foot-4, 219-pound playmaker broke free from coverage in the red zone and caught a wide-open 19-yard pass from Young in the end zone.

McMillan had been scoreless in his first five games — which generated some conversation about his effectiveness in the red zone — but on Sunday, he was able to finally hit pay dirt.

McMillan’s early gaffe highlighted his growing pains as a rookie wide receiver. The first-round pick has had his fair share of drops early in his rookie tenure. But his bounce-back moment served as a reminder of his dependability and resilience as a young playmaker.

With Dowdle grinding the ball down the field in the second half, McMillan was actually able to double up his touchdown total. Young hit McMillan for a 2-yard touchdown pass to begin the fourth quarter, and the Panthers took a 27-24 lead with 12:20 remaining in the game.

McMillan finished the game with three catches for 29 yards and two touchdowns. He has 27 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns on the season.

Another strong outing for the rookie kicker

Outside of a brutal first half against the New England Patriots in Week 4, Ryan Fitzgerald has been a quality cog in the Carolina machine. The undrafted rookie kicker had another strong game against Dallas.

In the first half alone, Fitzgerald made a pair of field-goal attempts, including a 55-yarder to salvage the final series of the first half. Fitzgerld’s second half work featured the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired.

He is now 10 of 11 on field goals through six games. He’s also made 12 of 13 extra points.

Fitzgerald deserves to be in the same conservation as the Panthers’ draft class, as he has easily been one of the most important rookies of the bunch. The Panthers have 12 rookies on their roster and 11 were active against the Cowboys.

Fitzgerald scored 12 of the 30 points in the game.

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