Rico Dowdle, running back for the Carolina Panthers, didn’t hesitate to respond to his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, after the 30-27 victory at Bank of America Stadium. Dowdle, with a stellar performance, made it clear that the Cowboys were not prepared for the match. “They weren’t prepared,” Dowdle stated. Dowdle accumulated a team record with 239 total yards against the team that decided not to renew his contract after the 2024 season. This made him the seventh player in NFL history to surpass 230 total yards in consecutive games. His 473 total yards in the last two games surpassed the team record of 416 yards, set by Christian McCaffrey, and helped Carolina (3-3) reach .500 for the first time since Week 10 of 2021. Dowdle’s outstanding performance also raised questions about who will be the starter when Chuba Hubbard returns from a calf injury that has kept him out for the last two weeks.
The Cowboys (2-3-1) and their defense, the worst in the league, couldn’t stop Dowdle from the start. Dowdle ran for 21 yards on his first two carries and caught a 13-yard pass on Carolina’s fourth play, which set up a field goal. Additionally, he scored a 36-yard touchdown after a pass from quarterback Bryce Young in the second quarter, putting the Panthers ahead 20-17. He celebrated the touchdown by simulating burying the ball. However, the victory was not easy. The Panthers needed a 33-yard field goal from rookie Ryan Fitzgerald in the last second to secure the victory. For Dowdle, victory was the most important thing.“It’s a great question,” commented coach Dave Canales after Carolina improved its home record to 3-0 this season, with an upcoming away game against the New York Jets, who have a 0-6 record. “We’re going to figure that part out. But I know Rico is doing a great job, and he will be an important part of what we are doing.”
Dave Canales
Dowdle admitted the game was “a little personal” after the Cowboys didn’t meet his financial demands following his 1,000-yard rushing season the previous year. Bryce Young, whose performance in the last two games matched the most touchdown passes in that span since he was the first pick of the 2023 draft, smiled when asked if he noticed that the game meant more than usual for Dowdle.“Definitely,” said Dowdle, who spent his first five seasons in Dallas after being an undrafted free agent from South Carolina in 2020. “I’ve been saying all week that the main thing is that I just wanted to get that win.”
Rico Dowdle
“Yes, of course,” he said. “Rico is a competitor. That just speaks to the ‘dog’ he is. We knew it was personal. We wanted to support him. He’s our brother… If it’s personal for him, it’s personal for us.”
Bryce YoungDowdle was 17 rushing yards away from becoming the fifth player since 1970 to have 200 yards in consecutive games. O.J. Simpson did it twice. Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, and Jay Ajayi each did it once. Dowdle’s 230+ yards in consecutive games puts him in the company of Jim Brown (Browns), Walter Payton (Bears), Marshall Faulk (Rams), Deuce McAllister (Saints), Josh Gordon (Browns), and Le’Veon Bell (Steelers). This, coming from a running back who had 33 touches, 103 yards, and a touchdown in the first four games.“I didn’t realize that part,” Dowdle said about the historical nature of his feat, which included breaking McCaffrey’s team record (237) in total yards. “But it’s definitely special to be able to come here and enter the history books.”
Rico DowdleDowdle took full responsibility for a lateral pass from wide receiver Xavier Legette that resulted in a fumble.Dowdle’s outstanding performance, which could lead to him becoming a starter, is something few anticipated when he signed a one-year, $3 million contract, which could reach $6.5 million with incentives to back up Hubbard. Without a doubt, it caught the attention of the Cowboys. “He told us to buckle up,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “He had the last laugh.”“That’s my fault,” Dowdle said. “I told the coaches the same thing. [The coach] told me not to make up those things.”
Rico Dowdle
