Former Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had himself a day on Sunday afternoon, helping the Carolina Panthers score a 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins. Dowdle ran for a career-high 206 yards and a touchdown in the victory and had enough in the tank to catch three passes for 28 yards in a superb all-around effort.
While fans didn’t expect these kinds of numbers from the former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, it was a skill set that made him an intriguing part of the Cowboys' backfield. Now with his new team, Dowdle will look to build on his performance against the Dolphins and even sent a message as he prepares to battle the Cowboys in Week 6.
“They gotta buckle up,” Dowdle said via The Athletic’s Joe Person after Sunday’s win. “I think they know, for sure. I’ve been there five years, (and) they didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason... Looking forward to playing those guys next week. We’ll look into it and handle that when we get there.”
Rico Dowdle Can Prove Week 5 Breakout Wasn’t a Fluke vs. Cowboys
Dowdle had a good reason to be feeling himself after Sunday’s game. Dowdle’s 206 rushing yards were the most since he put up 104 yards for the Cowboys in a 41-7 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles last December, which coincidentally was part of a seven-game stretch to end last season that probably got him the one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Panthers in free agency.
During that stretch, Dowdle averaged 98.5 rushing yards per game and added 10 catches for 65 scoreless yards. The Cowboys opted to revamp their backfield despite Dowdle’s late-season emergence and have been riding a group that includes Javontae Williams, Miles Sanders, and rookie Jaydon Blue.
The Cowboys have been happy with their shift as they jumped from 27th in rushing yards per game (100.3) to 12th (123.0) this season entering Sunday’s win over the Jets. But Dowdle took a minute to get going for Carolina, running for 83 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries (3.0 YPC) with five catches for 20 yards in his first four games for the Panthers, serving as the backup to starter Chuba Hubbard, who missed Sunday’s game with a calf injury.
After getting thrown into a starting role this week, perhaps this was the moment where Dowdle turned it around. Or it’s a byproduct of facing a Dolphins defense that ranked 30th in rushing defense with 158.0 yards per game entering Sunday. Either way, Dowdle will have a chance to improve his breakout wasn’t a fluke when his Panthers host the Cowboys in Week 6.