Rico Dowdle backs up discuss, steamrolls Cowboys for 239 yards

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers working again Rico Dowdle did not hesitate when requested what his postgame message was to the Dallas Cowboys after telling his former workforce to “buckle up” heading into Sunday’s 30-27 victory at Financial institution of America Stadium.

“They wasn’t buckled up,” Dowdle deadpanned.

Not even shut.

Dowdle had a team-record 239 scrimmage yards towards the workforce that selected to not re-sign him after the 2024 season, making him the seventh participant in NFL historical past to have at the very least 230 scrimmage yards in consecutive video games.

His 473 scrimmage yards the previous two video games smashed the workforce two-game document of 416 held by Christian McCaffrey and helped Carolina (3-3) attain the .500 mark for the primary time because it was 5-5 in Week 10 of 2021.

Dowdle’s effort additionally opened up a dialog about who will begin as soon as Chuba Hubbard returns from a calf damage that has sidelined him the previous two weeks.

“An amazing query,” coach Dave Canales mentioned after Carolina improved to 3-0 at dwelling this season with a highway sport towards the 0-6 New York Jets subsequent. “We’ll determine that half out. However I do know Rico is doing an excellent job, and he shall be an enormous a part of what we’re doing.”

The Cowboys (2-3-1) and their league-worst protection weren’t prepared for Dowdle from the outset. Dowdle had 21 yards dashing on his first two carries and caught a 13-yard move on Carolina’s fourth play to arrange a discipline aim.

He had a 36-yard landing move from quarterback Bryce Younger lower than two minutes into the second half to place the Panthers up 20-17. He celebrated that one by spinning the ball after which pretending to shovel filth on a grave.

Burying Dallas would not be as straightforward as Dowdle bowling over defenders appeared. The Panthers wanted a walk-off 33-yard discipline aim by rookie Ryan Fitzgerald to get the win.

That is in the end what Dowdle needed probably the most.

“Undoubtedly,” mentioned Dowdle, who spent his first 5 seasons in Dallas after being an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020. “I have been saying all week the principle factor is I simply needed to get that win.

“Huge, huge for me, but additionally huge the group. Attending to .500 and defending the house discipline … simply obtained to maintain constructing.”

Dowdle admitted the sport was “a bit of private” after the Cowboys did not meet his monetary calls for following his first 1,000 yard dashing season a 12 months in the past.

Younger, whose 5 landing passes in two video games tied for probably the most he has had over that span since being the highest choose of the 2023 draft, smiled when requested if he seen the sport meant greater than regular to Dowdle.

“Yeah, in fact,” he mentioned. “Rico is a competitor. That simply speaks to the dawg he’s. We knew it was private. We needed to have his again. That is our brother. … If it is private to him, it is private to us.”

It virtually grew to become historic. Dowdle was 17 yards dashing shy of turning into solely the fifth participant since 1970 to have 200 in consecutive video games. O.J. Simpson did it twice. Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams and Jay Ajayi did it as soon as every.

Dowdle’s 230-plus yards in consecutive video games put him within the firm of Jim Brown (Browns), Walter Payton (Bears), Marshall Faulk (Rams), Deuce McAllister (Saints), Josh Gordon (Browns) and Le’Veon Bell (Steelers). This from a again who had 33 touches, 103 yards and one landing within the first 4 video games.

“I did not notice that half,” Dowdle mentioned of the historic nature of his feat that included breaking McCaffrey’s single-game workforce document (237) for scrimmage yards. “However positively particular to have the ability to come right here and get within the historical past books.”

Dowdle wasn’t excellent, although. He took full blame for a lateral from broad receiver Xavier Legette that become a fumble, pleading with Legette to toss him the ball on a play that originally seemed like a foul choice by the receiver.

“That is on me,” Dowdle mentioned. “I informed the coaches the identical factor. [Coach] informed me do not make that stuff up.”

Dowdle’s storybook run that might land him within the beginning lineup is one thing you possibly can’t make up both. It is one thing few, if any, anticipated when he signed a one-year, $3 million deal that might attain $6.5 million with incentives to again up Hubbard.

It definitely obtained the eye of the Cowboys.

“He informed us to buckle up,” quarterback Dak Prescott mentioned. “He obtained the final snort.”

NFL Nation Cowboys reporter Todd Archer contributed to this report.