Mario Addison, Defensive End

It wasn’t easy to pick out one standout from the Panthers’ defense because the unit as a whole looked phenomenal on Sunday. Luke Kuechly once again proved while he is widely considered the best linebacker in the game with 13 total tackles, including 11 solo. Fellow linebacker Shaq Thompson and defensive end Wes Horton also posted impressive stat lines.

But to me, Mario Addison was the guy who made the biggest impact against the Cowboys, mainly because of the play that ultimately sealed the outcome. Addison stripped Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott on third-and-7 with under two minutes to go and Captain Munnerlyn recovered the fumble to give the Panthers possession. From there, Newton took three knees as Carolina ran out the clock and moved to 1-0.

In total, Addison had three tackles and 1 1/2 sacks as the Panthers routinely got to Prescott and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was held to 69 yards on 15 carries. He scored the lone Dallas touchdown in the fourth quarter before Addison’s strip sack of Prescott.

It’s basically a game of pick your poison against the Panthers’ defense, which remains one of the league’s top units. But on Sunday, it was Addison who put forth the best performance and made what proved to be the biggest play.