Editor’s Note: AJ Kaufman’s weekly MNF coverage on MSF is sponsored by Sadler’s Smokehouse, a producer of premium pit smoked meats that are best described by Sadler’s slogan: Legendary since 1948.

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

With a variety of delicious choices (beef, pork, ribs, turkey, brisket, and more) and availability at grocery stores throughout the U.S., Sadler’s meats are the tasty, convenient choice when you want to watch the big game and eat well while you’re doing it.

• Check out Sadler’s Monday Night Football Recipe of the Week: Smokehouse Panini
• Each week, you can also listen to the MSF Monday Night Football Podcast, brought to you by Sadler’s. In this week’s edition, Jerod and Big MB preview the Cowboys-Panthers Monday tilt and provide three “locks of the week” against the spread. (Note: Special thanks to Davey Heritier and Austin Bridges for the intro/outro song “Awake the Day”…one of Jerod’s all-time favorites.)
• Follow the link to listen to the MSF Podcast on iTunes, or use the in-page player below to listen while you read.

Panthers-Cowboys MNF Preview Podcast presented by Sadler’s

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MNF Preview Podcast: Cowboys-Panthers

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Monday Night Football Preview

Carolina Panthers (0-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

• Panthers-Cowboys Date: Monday, September 28th
• Panthers-Cowboys Time: 8:30 ET
• Panthers-Cowboys TV Network: ESPN
• Panthers-Cowboys Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
• Panthers-Cowboys Point Spread: Cowboys -9.5
• Panthers-Cowboys Over-Under: 46
• Panthers-Cowboys Pick by Jerod: I don’t like this game at all and would not touch it with a ten-foot pole if I actually bet money on these things. Luckily I don’t, so I can still offer up at least a guess as to how it will turn out. I think it all comes down to who you trust more: Tony Romo or Jake Delhomme. If Romo protects the ball and lets his great RBs do the heavy lifting, the Cowboys should rebound from their home opener for a win. However, Dallas is terrible against the pass (as proven last week by Eli Manning) and perhaps this is the game that Jake Delhomme gets well again. In the end, I do think Dallas will win this game, but Romo will make enough mistakes and Dallas’ DBs will play poorly enough for Carolina to keep it close. Plus, when in doubt, go with the 0-2 team that had playoff expectations coming into the year. Desperation can be huge in the NFL. Panthers-Cowboys free spread pick: Panthers +9.5
• StubHub: Cowboys-Panthers MNF tickets as low as $25!
• StubHub: all Dallas Cowboys home game tickets
• StubHub: all Carolina Panthers home game tickets
• StubHub: all 2009 NFL tickets

Cowboys-Panthers Preview & Analysis

Though it may seem silly and emotional, in Dallas, hope turned to despair from week one to two.

However, after a closer look, it is a very good sign for your offense when you are playing one of the top rated defenses in the conference, your quarterback plays one of the worst games of his career, and you still manage 31 points.

These results convey two important points: (1) that your offense is balanced, and (2) that your offensive line is getting the job done.

It should come as no surprise that given the production of said offensive line, the Cowboys running game is firing on all cylinders as Marion Barber and Felix Jones represent arguably the best 1-2 running back punch in the NFC, if not the NFL. Barber is averaging more than six yards per carry in 2009. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, Barber is still questionable for Monday with a quad injury.

Fortunately for ‘Boys fans though, his backup, Tashard Choice, is no slouch, and should pick up the slack nicely if pressed into a more prominent role in the offense. Last year, Choice put together a string of three excellent games against Pittsburgh, New York, and Baltimore. Therefore, he should serve solidly in a time-share with Jones.

Expect Mr. Jones to maintain his role as the change of pace and 3rd down back with Choice claiming the “workhorse” duties. The duo should come up big against a Panthers defense that has an injury riddled front-line and has given up over 150 rushing yards in each of their first two games. 



As for Romo, odds are he’ll be fine. The bigger issue is the uncertainty over a reliable third option for the Cowboys’ receiving game (after Jason Witten and Roy Williams). Patrick Crayton seems destined to be nothing more that a slot receiver, leaving Miles Austin in the driver’s seat to run away with second wideout duties. His talent and big play ability has left Jerry Jones watering at the mouth, but Austin has yet to consistently manifest that talent into reality.



It is a very bad sign for your secondary when Eli Manning, Mario Manningham, and Steve Smith look like the second coming of the Three Amigos. That said, I think the Cowboys will be fine defensively, so long as they abandon the experiment to rotate Orlando Scandrick (who was repeatedly burned by Manningham) and Mike Jenkins at the corner, and it seems like Wade Phillips has already started to move in that direction. 



Panthers fans can take some solace in the fact that Jake Delhomme, coming off two straight awful performances that led to major criticism, wasn’t nearly as bad last week against Atlanta; but that being said, his 308 passing yards shed far too positive a light on his actual performance. This simply isn’t the Delhomme of five years ago, and the Panthers have to be second guessing the heck out of themselves for his exorbitant contract extension this past off-season.
 
Though he indicated he “felt good out there,” Jake was nearly an early disaster. Though he began the game 4-4 for 54 yards, he could have thrown an early interception when he inexplicably tossed a weak underhand pass, which was dropped by a Falcons defender. If Delhomme would have thrown a pick there, things probably would have snowballed on him again, as they would have been in another big early hole.

Cowboys-Panthers Prediction and Spread Pick

So, though it’s not outrageous to muse that the 34 year-old is on the downward arc of his career, the Panthers do indeed have a dangerous rushing attack with DeAngelo Williams and 22 year-old Jonathan Stewart  that will make things significantly easier for Mr. Delhomme at times. 



All that being said, I just don’t see how the Panthers stop the Cowboys’ rushing attack, especially with the season ending ankle injury to defensive tackle Louis Leonard, one of the team’s primary run stuffers. This is yet another hindrance to a defensive line already crippled by injuries.

Ultimately, I just don’t see the Panthers as being able to stop the Cowboys’ ground game without bringing a safety in the box, and in doing so, they will open up the passing attack for Tony Romo, who should have a good bounce back game. Dallas needs this win, and it’s highly likely they’ll get it, perhaps easily.



Cowboys-Panthers Prediction and Spread Pick: Cowboys do cover the large spread.

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* – Felix Jones photo credit: Dallas Observer Sportatorium

* – Jake Delhomme photo credit: Snort Report