Panthers vs. Cowboys: Score, Twitter Reaction for 2015 Thanksgiving Day Football

Undaunted by a short turnaround, the pressure of staying undefeated or an opponent desperate to remain relevant this NFL season, the Carolina Panthers feasted on the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Thursday.

Carolina's defense set the tone with two trips to the end zone on pick-sixes in Week 12 as the Panthers rolled against America's Team 33-14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Cowboys star quarterback Tony Romo had just returned in Week 11 from a fractured left clavicle and led Dallas to victory over the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, his rust persisted, and he reinjured his clavicle, per DallasCowboys.com's David Helman. The 35-year-old was forced to exit the field after Thomas Davis sacked him on the final play of the third quarter.

Romo's outing was trending down from the start. His second passing attempt of the day was intercepted by Carolina free safety Kurt Coleman, who took it to the house to give the visitors an early 7-0 advantage after the extra point.  

The Panthers' official Twitter account provided a visual for how Coleman read the route concept and jumped all over Romo's telegraphed pass:

ESPN's Louis Riddick reacted to Coleman's fifth interception of the year, implying the journeyman has finally found his best fit as an NFL player:

It seemed as though Carolina had its foe's number in similar fashion throughout the game, mirroring how Coleman was in prime position to make a huge play from the start. 

Perhaps the game's best inside linebacker, Luke Kuechly, knew where Romo was going with another throw toward the end of the second half.

Kuechly stepped into the lane to make a hands catch and looked like an athletic tight end in the open field as he followed blockers across the goal line, stiff-arming Romo in the face for good measure as he broke the plane.

Kuechly wasn't done, making a bit of history on the very next play, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot:

CBS Sports may have won NFL Twitter with its reaction to Kuechly's brilliance in coverage:

NBA superstar Stephen Curry was also soaking in the action:

Three field-goal drives in the first half by the Cam Newton-catalyzed Carolina offense gave the Panthers a 23-3 cushion entering the locker room. The level the NFC's best team was playing at was something Dallas couldn't dream of matching—its gallant defensive effort in the scoring zone notwithstanding.

ESPN Stats & Info's graphic is indicative of how disastrous things were for Dallas:

Credit should also go to emerging Panthers stud cornerback Josh Norman, who's ascended into the elite at his position this year and took Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant out of the game until it was too late.

Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus emphasized Norman's greatness:

The physical Panthers pounded the rock after the break with Jonathan Stewart and Newton, who also converted several key long third downs with his arm.

A critical penalty by Cowboys rookie Byron Jones wiped out a Graham Gano field goal, allowing Carolina's last drive of the third to extend. Newton proceeded to stretch for a score on a four-yard scramble. The 14-play, 80-yard march ate up 7:29 of game clock, quieted the stadium and dashed any hope of a Cowboys comeback.

The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch had a suitable reaction to Carolina's dominance:

"

The next NFL investigation needs to be how the Panthers were ever underdogs in this game.

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) November 26, 2015"

Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post looked ahead to what's on the horizon for Carolina far before Thursday's marquee matchup concluded:

As the wins keep piling up for the 11-0 Panthers, chatter will grow around their pursuit of perfection. Thanks to Newton's downfield throwing ability and unique skills as a ball-carrier, Stewart's dependability as a feature-back workhorse and Carolina's magnificent defense, it's hard to envision anyone stopping the reigning NFC South champions.

The only real concern for Carolina is how its offense struggled to find the end zone Thursday, but conservative play-calling and the defense-aided scoring meant the Panthers didn't need to press.

Newton and Co. can easily make up for this week's lack of points in Week 13 against the division rival New Orleans Saints. With Carolina having extra time to prepare, expect plenty of Panthers scoring against a porous Saints defense.

As for Dallas, although the NFC East is an unmitigated disaster this season, the Cowboys are still on the outside looking in and may have lost Romo again. The hope is the 3-8 squad can find a way to bounce back in Week 13 as it prepares for Washington on the road in Monday Night Football.

Post-Game Reaction

The most notable quote came from Norman, who took a shot at Bryant after the elite wideout managed only only two receptions on eight targets for 26 yards, per Michael Florek of The Dallas Morning News:

And because it's too entertaining not to mention, Norman further elaborated on the mindset he had, explaining how fired up he got after Bryant talked trash to other Carolina defensive backs prior to kickoff, per Florek:

"

They came back, told me, I put my thinking cap on and I went to work. I went to a dark place. I went to the bat cave. I went Dark Knight on him. The thing is, the crazy thing about all that is, he started from the first play and after that, it was nothing. There's no pact between lions and men between the white lines. None. And if my intensity is all out four quarters and the other opponent is not, that's not my fault.

"

Romo expressed frustration with how he played even prior to the bummer that was his injury in going 11-of-21 passing for 106 yards and three picks.

"Honestly I'm just disappointed that I didn't give my team a chance to win today," said Romo, per NFL Network.

Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram indicated Romo's feeling in his shoulder was the same as when he initially suffered the fractured clavicle. Head coach Jason Garrett said, per Hill, Romo's X-rays were inconclusive.

Garrett did comment on Romo's lack of ball security, saying, per NFL Network, "Our turnovers gave them 17 points and we can't do that against a team that's undefeated." 

Carolina coach Ron Rivera applauded Kuechly's play and the adjustment he made prior to his pick-six, per Panthers.com's Bryan Strickland:

Kuechly wound up with sharing the game's All-Iron Award with Coleman, Newton and receiver Jerricho Cotchery, who had five receptions and led all receivers with 73 yards.

The honor is bestowed upon the game's MVP every year by CBS broadcaster Phil Simms, but the Panthers' collective success moved Simms to reward Carolina as more of a team. It was appropriate for the Panthers' achievements to date and for their exceptional Thanksgiving performance.