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CHARLOTTE -- Even casual observers have heard the tales of the Cowboys' new home ground in Arlington, Texas -- a billion-dollar, retractable-roofed edifice that rises above the amusement park and baseball stadium with which it shares a neighborhood.

But for those who call this part of Texas home, Cowboys Stadium is a talking point not just because of its low-hanging scoreboard, but its mammoth presence that seems to embody the notion that everything is bigger in the Lone Star State.

"I want to see it," said Texas native Damione Lewis. "It's been the talk of the town -- everybody's like, 'Yeah, wait until y'all get to (Cowboys) Stadium' and all this stuff. I want to see the 60-yard scoreboard and all that stuff. I know we're probably going to go in and have a good look at it before the game starts."

That will be the time for the Panthers to get their gawking out of the way. And while the ESPN broadcast will likely focus upon the still-gleaming stadium, Carolina's focus has to be on the task at hand: making it to the bye week at 1-2 in what linebacker Jon Beason says is a "must-win" game.

"Vital is an understatement," Beason said. "0-3 is just not a possibility."

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH

GROUND BOUND

Through ups and downs of a 1-1 start, the Cowboys' ground attack has remained a constant, leading the league through two weeks with 184.5 yards per game and a staggering 7.0 yards per carry -- success that goes beyond their top two runners, Marion Barber and Felix Jones.

"They've got probably the biggest offensive line in the league. They're notorious for it. They're run blockers. That's what they want to do," Beason said. "For us, it's going to be a slug match. We've definitely got to go out there, bring it to them, use our speed to our advantage; they're going to use their size and come right after us. Right now, that's probably their game plan, to run right at us."

They've also run around people.

"Any one of those guys can go the distance," Lewis said. "We call (Barber) Marion the Barbarian because he runs like a grown man; he runs the ball hard. Then Felix Jones can pop it from anywhere, and he's elusive and makes good moves in the secondary. It's going to be hard to bring him down."

The ground has also been Dallas' best way of sustaining drives. The Cowboys lead the league in percentage of carries that result in first downs; 39.6 percent of their 53 runs have moved the chains. The Panthers, by comparison, rank 13th in this category; 21.8 percent of their carries have gone for first downs. No team in the league other than Dallas has a ratio above 29 percent.

But their time of possession belies such success on the ground; the Cowboys' average time of possession this year is 25 minutes, 50 seconds -- second-worst in the league through Sunday's games, ahead of only the Oakland Raiders.

FULLBACK FOCUS

With Brad Hoover doubtful, the Panthers are faced with the likelihood that they'll play their first game without the trusty Thomasville, N.C. product since Oct. 16, 2005. This would snap a streak of 64 consecutive regular-season and playoff games played, but more relevant to this week, it would also would thrust rookie Tony Fiammetta into a more prominent role.

Fullback is typically a position that favors experience. Hoover didn't start at the position until midway through his second season. The league's best at the position have typically been veterans, evidenced by the Pro Bowl fullbacks in the last five years, a group that included just one player below the age of 30 (Baltimore's Le'Ron McClain).

But Fiammetta was widely considered the preeminent fullback in this year's draft class, and is one of just three pure fullbacks to be selected in the first four rounds of the last five drafts (two others, 2007 second-rounder Brian Leonard and 2008 third-rounder Jacob Hester, also had experience at tailback at Rutgers and LSU, respectively).

WHO WILL HANDLE INJURIES BETTER?

They're starting to stack up, with Na'il Diggs out and Hoover, safety Chris Harris and defensive end Everette Brown all doubtful for the Panthers, while the Cowboys face a question mark with Barber, who pulled up last week with a quadriceps injury and is listed as questionable.

Beason believes the potential absence of Barber won't matter, with former Georgia Tech runner Tashard Choice ready to assume the between-tackles-slogging half of Dallas' running duopoly.

"I don't see a big difference between Choice and Barber, so if Barber doesn't play," Beason said. "I know Choice from college. He runs just as hard. They don't lose much at that position."

The Panthers expect to get Nick Hayden back at defensive tackle; he's probable after missing Week 2 with a toe injury. But Louis Leonard's season-ending ankle fracture again compromised the depth, with only rookie Sunny Harris and Tuesday signee Antwon Burton filling out the tackle complement. One or both could receive significant minutes and could be crucial in trying to slow Dallas' ground attack.

FINDING SOMETHING 'SPECIAL'

Giveaways doomed the Panthers in Week 1 and lengthy Atlanta drives spelled a glum afternoon in the Georgia Dome seven days later. But two snafus on punts were equally complicitous in the losses: an 85-yard DeSean Jackson touchdown return for the Eagles and a Falcons block of a Jason Baker punt that set up a touchdown drive.

If the Panthers are to avoid 0-3, the special-teams issues -- particularly when the Panthers go into punt formation -- must cease immediately. With each miscue, the entire team's margin for error narrows again.

DISCOVERING AN IDENTITY

We know what the Panthers were last year. This year, through injuries dating back to the start of training camp and a run of six consecutive defeats (preseason included), even the Panthers aren't sure what their identity is, although Jake Delhomme knows what he wants it to be.

"I think offensively we're getting there," he said. "I think we came into the year (thinking) run game, run game, but that doesn't just happen. It takes time.

"You look at last year; we did some decent things running the football (in the first half of the season), but from the bye on, we really did well running the football. It takes a little time. Certainly we're sitting here at 2-0 last year and that was great. We'd love to be sitting here at 2-0 right now. But the reality of it is we're not. Like I keep saying, do whatever you can this week to try to get a win and see what happens."