Young also had two fumbles and two interceptions. The first loss of the ball laid the foundation for the game. After forcing a punt on the Cowboys’ opening drive, the Panthers took the ball and entered the red zone after 13 plays and over eight minutes of possession. At the 18-yard line, Young faked the handoff and rolled out. He pivoted from a potential sack by Micah Parsons and scrambled forward.

It appeared to be a positive play that would move Carolina four yards closer to the goal line. Instead, Young lost the ball when he went to the ground and the Cowboys recovered. It was only the second time this season that Young put the ball on the ground and it was the first time he lost a fumble. Even though they were forced to punt and didn’t score any points on that possession, a dam was opened.

“When a successful drive ends with a turnover, the challenge is to snap back and say, ‘Okay, these are the things that led to the success of that drive. Can we just get back to it?'” Canales said. “And we weren’t able to get to the ball there during the first half.

“We need to be able to say: OK, this happened, let’s just restart and get back to our football.”

A Young interception after a popped ball to Adam Thielen led to a field goal for Dallas. After the touchdown pass to Coker, the Panthers opened the third quarter by throwing the ball again on a strip sack. Five plays later, the Cowboys scored a touchdown.

That made it 17-7, but Canales didn’t see any fight between his guys, especially Young.