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Big Dill Sports coming in hot from Charlotte, where the Panthers threw a house party and the Cowboys were the plus-ones who had to Uber home. Carolina outlasted Dallas 30–27 thanks to a late boot and a ground game that hit the gas all afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. In the FOX early window, most outlets leaned Dallas pregame, but the Cats flipped that script in front of the home crowd. (espn.com)

This one swung like a pendulum. Dallas grabbed a 17–13 halftime edge behind Dak Prescott (25/34, 261 yards, 3 TD) and a red-zone pitch to Hunter Luepke plus a strike to Jake Ferguson. Then Carolina opened the second half with a haymaker: Bryce Young (17/25, 199 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT) dialed up a 36-yard catch-and-run to his workhorse back to snatch the lead. Dak countered with a deep dime to a cooking George Pickens (9/11, 168 yards, 1 TD), but the fourth quarter belonged to Carolina’s patience—methodical, clock-draining, and mean.

The Panthers’ identity was obvious: hand it to the hot hand and let the franchise QB finish the job. Rico Dowdle played battering ram with a career day—30 carries for 183 yards and added 4 catches for 56 yards and a TD—setting the table for Young’s red-zone precision, including two pay-dirt hookups with rookie tower Tetairoa McMillan (2 TD). Special teams iced it: Ryan Fitzgerald hammered a 55-yarder before the half and then drilled the game-winner from 33 with three ticks left to cue the confetti. That’s complementary football with a capital C.

Big Dill of the Game: Rico Dowdle. When the Panthers needed a tone-setter, he was the metronome—chunk runs, after-contact grit, and a receiving-house call that flipped momentum. That’s a grown-man tape. Until next time, I’m Dillon “Big Dill” Smith, reminding you: keep your head on a swivel and your snacks within reach—because ballin’ is a Big Dill.