Panthers RB Rico Dowdle Eyes ‘Revenge Game’ Against Cowboys After 200-Yard Outing

Rico Dowdle rushed for 206 yards in the Dolphins win and scored one touchdown.

Panthers RB Rico Dowdle Eyes ‘Revenge Game’ Against Cowboys After 200-Yard Outing

Rico Dowdle from his Cowboys days (Image via IMAGO)

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Rico Dowdle heads back to Dallas, a team that believed in the undrafted rookie but also cut him right after posting his first 1000-yard season. Dowdle has kept all the receipts, especially from Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones, who couldn’t even remember his name.

Dave Canales named Dowdle his starting back against the Miami Dolphins in the absence of Chuba Hubbard. The 27-year-old answered the call with 23 carries for 206 yards and one touchdown to seal the Panthers’ second win of the year.

After the game, Dowdle sent a warning to the Cowboys, whom they host in week six.

They [the Cowboys have] got to buckle up. I think they know for sure. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.

Rico Dowdle said on Sunday

In 52 games for the Cowboys, Dowdle rushed 331 times for 1464 yards and scored 4 rushing touchdowns, and successfully caught 56 passes for 393 yards and scored 5 receiving touchdowns.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Dowdle signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Panthers. Since moving back to Carolina, where he played college football for the Gamecocks, Dowdle has amassed 51 carries for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns, aside from 8 receptions for 48 yards.

Rico Dowdle nearly broke a decade-long Panthers record

A rusher rarely surpasses 200 yards in an NFL game. The last player to cross that landmark was the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor against the Tennessee Titans in Week 16 of the 2024 season.

Panthers RB Rico Dowdle Eyes ‘Revenge Game’ Against Cowboys After 200-Yard Outing
Rico Dowdle (Image via IMAGO)

Dowdle became the first RB since Taylor to put 200 yards past a team (first 100-yard haul in a week 17 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in which he rushed for 104 yards on 23 carries).

Sunday’s numbers were special. Dowdle tied with Jonathan Stewart (2009) for the second-most yards in a game and missed out on the top spot by just four yards, which has been occupied by DeAngelo Williams since 2012.

If I didn’t leave with cramps, I definitely would have gotten it.

Rico Dowdle said (H/T: ESPN)

Dowdle was instrumental in the Panthers’ push for the comeback win. Quarterback Bryce Young connected with WR Xavier Legette inside the Miami red zone, and then Ryan Fitzgerald reduced the gap before Dowdle’s 1-yard touchdown run gave the Panthers their first lead in the game.

Dolphins took the lead back through Jaylen Waddle, but Young’s pass to TE Mitchell Evans sealed 24-27 and the Panthers’ second win of the year.

Young finished with 19 completions from 30 attempts for 198 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Tetairoa McMillan caught 6 for 73 yards to improve his rookie year tally to 24 catches for 351 yards (14.6 yards per catch).

The Panthers began their season with back-to-back losses against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Arizona Cardinals before a shutout victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Canales’ Panthers followed up those games with a win and a loss against AFC East franchises—the Patriots and the Dolphins.

In week six, the Cowboys arrive at Bank of America Stadium after seeing off the New York Jets 37-22. Quarterback Dak Prescott leads the league with 1356 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

The Cowboys have a 63.1% chance of winning their third game. Dallas has an 11-5 record against the Panthers and 3-6 in Carolina.

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