The Carolina Panthers are undefeated this season and the Dallas Cowboys are unbeaten in games that Tony Romo has started. The problem is, Romo has only played in three contests this year.
Panthers vs. Cowboys 2015 live stream: Start time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Tony Romo aims to change the narrative of the Cowboys’ season, but first he’ll have to knock off the undefeated Panthers.
Romo returned to the field Sunday for the first time since Week 2 in the Cowboys' 24-14 win over the Miami Dolphins. It wasn't a perfect game for Romo, who threw two interceptions, but his two-touchdown performance was still enough to halt Dallas' seven-game skid. Perhaps most importantly, Romo rekindled his connection with Dez Bryant, who caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Thanks to the mediocrity of the NFC East, the 3-7 Cowboys still possess an outside chance to reach the postseason. They're only two games behind the first-place New York Giants in the win column.
But in order for the Cowboys to put themselves in a position to retake the division lead, they have to win out. That’s a tall task for any NFL team, but especially one that’s going up against the 10-0 Panthers.
Cam Newton was the star in Carolina's 44-16 win over Washington, throwing for a career-high five touchdown passes. Though Newton is sporting a career-low 56.9 completion percentage, he's thrown for 20 touchdown passes and ran for six while posting a career-best 90.1 quarterback rating.
Newton has generated a lot of headlines this season, but the real reason why the Panthers are undefeated is their stout defense. Carolina currently has the fourth-ranked defense in the league and leads the NFL in takeaways as well. They should get a boost Thursday, with defensive end Charles Johnson returning to the lineup.
In addition to the Panthers’ run for an undefeated season, the other major storyline for this game centers around Greg Hardy. This will be Hardy’s first meeting against his former club, which played without him for 15 games last season while he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for a domestic violence incident. Dallas signed Hardy to an incentive-laden one-year contract over the offseason, and though he’s performed on the field, he’s been trouble off it since returning from a four-game suspension in early October.
The Cowboys reportedly fined Hardy for missing meetings prior to their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though that discretion is just the tip of the iceberg. Two weeks ago, Hardy briefly changed his Twitter bio to read "innocent until proven guilty" in the wake of a Deadspin report that included graphic images of his ex-girlfriend's bruised body. It marked the fourth time the Cowboys had to talk to Hardy about his behavior and came just one day before he missed the team meeting. Hardy also confronted and shoved special teams coach Rich Bisaccia on the sideline during Dallas' Week 9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
There have been other sources of turmoil on the Cowboys besides Hardy: Running back Joseph Randle was released earlier this month due to concerns about his mental state and was later arrested, and two players were reportedly cut this week for not wearing suits on a road trip. Dallas has been mired with instability all season long.
Now that Romo is back, the Cowboys are aiming to change the narrative of their season. But in order to do that, they have to beat the undefeated Panthers Thursday afternoon. That’s far from an easy task.
How to watch
When: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: NFL Game Pass
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