CHARLOTTE — Everything is bigger when you face Texas, and that includes the early-season games. The Panthers are back at home for the second week in a row, looking to remain perfect at Bank of America Stadium this season. They'll have to go through a red-hot Dallas Cowboys offense to do so this week, though.

The Panthers (2-3) will welcome the Cowboys (2-2-1) to the Queen City for the third straight year. The Cowboys come in with the top offense in the league. The Panthers' defense, though, has taken significant strides in five weeks compared to last season, when Dallas won 30-14 in Week 15. Coming off a comeback 27-24 win against the Dolphins last week, Dave Canales has seen the energy in his team carry over into this week.

"Great day, great focus and finish of the week, a lot of communication happening out there," praised Canales on Friday.

"The guys are excited about this opportunity to play at home, Bank of America Stadium, and just looking at them, the guys are talking to each other, holding each other accountable to stuff, working on things, and love the way, the direction that this team is going in terms of just the growth and the communication."

On that note, from the challenge of slowing down Dak Prescott, to a chance for Rico Dowdle to make (another) statement, here are five things to watch Sunday against the Cowboys.

Can Rico Dowdle replicate last week?

Running back Rico Dowdle made a statement last week against the Dolphins, with 206 rushing yards and 234 yards from scrimmage. He'll get the start again on Sunday, while Chuba Hubbard continues to recover from a calf injury. Dowdle will happily take the snaps against a defense that is giving up 127.4 yards per game on the ground, as he's facing his former team.

"Another game, happens to be the Cowboys, so definitely looking forward to it," said Dowdle. "It's going to be a very physical game from my end, I know from my end, just take pride in that, so, yeah, buckle chin straps up tight, and I will be coming.

"I definitely want to go out there and have a good game versus them, but I mean, they did allow me to live out my dream for my five years there, so I mean no hard feelings."

Dowdle has benefitted from a road-grading offensive line. He leads all NFL running backs (minimum 30 carries) with the amount of yards carrying the ball before being contacted, picking up 2.6 yards per carry before even being touched. In fact, Dowdle, Hubbard, Trevor Etienne, and DeeJay Dallas—as a unit—have all found success with open lanes, particularly to the right.

On the ground, the Panthers' offensive line has generated 1.7 yards before contact per designed run (fourth-most), with significantly better results running right (2.4 yards, second most) than left (0.9 yards, 17th most).

The right side of the line will change some this week. Veteran Taylor Moton (elbow) is out. Yosh Nijman will start in his place, his fifth start for the Panthers since arriving last season.

"T-Mo, we couldn't get him turned around quick enough; did not practice today, so Yosh took the reps in the week. He's ready to go," said Canales.

Slowing down Dak

Dak Prescott is playing at another level through the first five weeks. He's second in the league with 1,356 passing yards so far, and is averaging 271.2 yards per game. There is a grain of salt applied, given the Cowboys' struggles on defense (they're giving up 412 yards per game, the most in the league). As a result, the Dallas offense is finding itself in shootouts, which increases total offensive yardage.

Still, Prescott is clicking, keeping Dallas in those games—and winning some.

"Great balance, a group of skill players that's really talented, experienced guys that have been with Dak for a while," scouted Canales this week. "And then of course, adding George Pickens into the mix with speed and size.

"I know Brian Schottenheimer personally, and I know that he's going to try to find a way to run the ball some way somehow, and so you just see the balance of their personnel, their formations; they can run or pass out of all those things, and that really is what makes them a good offense.

"And of course I think Dak is playing at a really high level, finding his completions, finding his playmakers out there, and they're doing a good job just mixing personnel and utilizing their roster."

Prescott won't have CeeDee Lamb (ankle) for another week, but the Panthers will still have to contend with George Pickens, who has 357 yards so far this season (tied for 13th in the league) with five touchdowns. Pickens has been a workhorse for the Cowboys, running 192 routes already this season, more than any receiver in the NFL. He'll be on the field a lot, meaning the Panthers' defense will have to account for him most of the game.

Prescott can find some relief with his run game. Javonte Williams, who is third in the league with 447 rushing yards, has gained 357 of those rushing yards after contact this season, the second-most among running backs, trailing only Jonathan Taylor (372).

But the Panthers' defense is in the top half of the league in rush defense, 14th overall, allowing only 107.2 yards per game on the ground (helped tremendously by holding the Dolphins to a mere 19 rushing yards last week). Now the challenge becomes doing it again, versus a dynamic challenge.

"I think Dak's playing at a high level right now," said defensive lineman Derrick Brown. "Obviously, they're getting their run game, they're getting their offensive line back this week, so I mean, we got a big task ahead of us and it's one we're willing to take."

How could offense look with possible returns?

The Panthers' offense has a chance to return two starters on Sunday. Both receiver Jalen Coker and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders are officially listed as questionable on Friday's injury report. Canales said both second-year pass-catchers looked good in practice this week, despite being limited participants. Their status against the Cowboys will be decided based on their collective week of work and how their bodies responded.

"He brings the time, a competitor he is, how hard he works, someone who's physical, fast, really good route runner, super strong hands, really good after the catch, I think it's just another element obviously," praised quarterback Bryce Young of Coker.

Added Canales of Sanders, "We'll be really excited to get JT back out there when we can, but we got to make sure that it's the right thing for him right now, the right thing for the team, and we'll put our heads together tomorrow and and look at all the information, look at the practice film, and just talk to the trainers and everybody all hands on deck to make that decision."

Coker had a breakout game against the Cowboys last season, when the rookie brought in four receptions for 110 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown.

Current rookies, Tetairoa McMillan, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Mitchell Evans, stepped up in the win against the Dolphins. To do so again this weekend will mean facing off against former first-round corners. The Panthers highlighted the challenge of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland this week.

But Kaiir Elam—who primarily plays when the Cowboys are in nickel— did not allow a single reception across 27 coverage snaps and four targets faced in coverage during the Cowboys' Week 5 win over the Jets. Elam was matched up with Garrett Wilson just three times, but was targeted on two of those matchups.

"Obviously good corners," said McMillan of the Cowboys unit. "Good ball skills, you know, very experienced and sound corners, and obviously rangy. So just being able to come back to the ball, just being able to be quarterback friendly, and you know, it's either I get it or no one gets it."

In theory, Young might have an easier time getting the ball out to his receivers, following the trade this offseason that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. But when Canales looks at this Cowboys defense, he sees a group that can still get after the quarterback.

"The structure is similar," explained Canales. "It's a four down starting point, a 4-3 defense, and with a couple of different players that they've added to their team, some veteran players—and then, of course, Kenny Clark, Dante Fowler—and it's a group that's just figuring out how to play together.

"It's very similar to the combination of guys that we've had come in and play as well, so I understand the challenge to get a group to play really good football together, but this is a group that has a lot of good faces and a lot of good names over there, and so I expect their best, and we always do every week, every Sunday we're playing against pros. We prepared that way and we're expecting their best."

Another week, another dynamic tight end

For the third straight week, the Panthers' defense will be tasked with shutting down an elite pass-catching tight end. The past two weeks, those tight ends have found their moments, but Carolina has responded.

"That tests me and Boom ( Christian Rozeboom) out," linebacker Trevin Wallace said of the challenge. "It shows what abilities we have, and coverage, as well as how good our eyes can be."

In Week 4, it was Hunter Henry, who had a costly touchdown that put the game away for the Patriots, but in total only had two catches for 39 yards. In Week 5, it was Darren Waller, who brought in five receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but had no catches in the second half.

Now, the Panthers will be asked to do it again and shut down Jake Ferguson. His 41 receptions on 48 targets are both team highs for the Cowboys, and his 272 yards are fourth-most among tight ends in the league. Before the Cowboys faced New York in Week 5, Ferguson had been targeted on a career-high 30.5 percent of his routes this season, four percent more than any other tight end this season (minimum 50 routes).

"I think people don't give him the credit that he should, but I feel like he's with the top tight ends in the league," said Wallace. "He's a good catcher and a blocker. I feel like people don't give him the credit that he needs."

Nic Scourton looking for a big first

From big catches to first sacks, special teams specialties, and more, the Panthers' rookie class has found ways to impact Carolina's games already this season. Second round pick, outside linebacker Nic Scourton, has done his part with nine tackles, three blitzes, and a batted ball, while playing 60 percent of the defensive snaps through the first five weeks.

But he is still searching for a notch in a particular column.

"Just rough," Scourton laughed, of just barely missing out on his first sack against the Dolphins. "I got to be better, redirect better, make the most of my opportunities…it's going to come."

Prescott will be a tough quarterback to sack. He has a 3.4 percent sack rate (minimum 100 dropbacks), which is fifth-lowest in the league. Additionally, he has recorded the second-highest completion percentage (66.1 percent) when under pressure while also allowing just 10.4 percent of his pressured dropbacks to result in a sack (7 of 67), the third-lowest pressure-to-sack rate in the NFL. The Cowboys have gained +39.9% in win probability when Prescott has faced pressure, the most in the NFL.

So while Scourton getting his first sack would be a marquee moment for the rookie, Canales is simply asking for him to continue to affect the passer in all the ways he has been so far.

"That'd be great," Canales said of the possibility of that first sack, before continuing, "and it takes all the guys. It takes the full effort of the group, but also to rush with discipline and to understand that Dak is a mobile quarterback as well, and he can get off the spot and make plays.

"So we have to be disciplined about how we rush it, but we have to have everything, everything you got every single time, and yeah, I can't wait for Nic to get his first sack. But he's been affecting the passer in his opportunities, and that's the goal, really, to affect the passer."

Honorary mention: Replacing Turpin

The Cowboys boast the second-best returner on special teams in the NFL this season in KaVontae Turpin. In just four games, he returned 16 kickoffs for 405 yards (average 25.3 per return). He has also been the Cowboys' primary punt returner.

But Dallas will be without their game-changing weapon on Sunday. Turpin is officially out with a foot injury. The Cowboys' other two kickoff returners have been Jalen Tolbert and Miles Sanders, though the latter is now out for the remainder of the season. That means the Cowboys will likely be turning the starting role over to Tolbert, who has five returns for 105 yards on kickoffs. He has not returned a punt this season and has only done it once during his career, for no yardage.