Rico Dowdle Breakout Highlights Massive Cowboys Concern
The Dallas Cowboys had a short week as they hosted the New York Giants in an NFC East showdown on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys have won two straight games, outlasting the Giants 27-20. They now sit with a 5-7 record.
They have beaten two division rivals in a row and are looking to make a playoff push over the next five weeks. This showcases the team is still locked in despite being slammed with injuries but Rico Dowdle's performance on Thanksgiving highlights a coaching problem.
(and everyone who watched the RBs at training camp could tell that Rico Dowdle had the most juice of any of the RBs) https://t.co/Of3ycsTDS5
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) November 29, 2024
David Helman of FoxSports and Joesph Hoyt of DLLS Cowboys both revealed that members of the Cowboys didn't believe that Dowdle was their best running back until the last couple of weeks, which is certainly alarming.
That is certainly disappointing since the Cowboys' running game has been lackluster all season. Dallas is 31st in the league in rushing offense (85.8) but only gave Dowdle more than 15 carries once over the first 12 weeks of the season.
That should have never been the case since there isn't any other threat in the backfield. In the win over the Giants, Dowdle finished with a season-high 112 rushing yards with one touchdown. This was the second straight week with 80-plus rushing yards.
With Dak Prescott down for the year, head coach Mike McCarthy wants to rely on the rushing attack more to give Cooper Rush a more balanced offense.
While this is good to see now as a Cowboys fan, it makes you wonder why it wasn't happening earlier in the season. The coaching staff knew that Dowdle was the best running back on the team but didn't seem to give him more opportunities. And that is questionable decision-making, to say the least.
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