Cowboys stunned by Panthers behind Rico Dowdle monster game

The Dallas Cowboys fell to 2-3-1 on Sunday after losing to the Carolina Panthers on a game-winning field goal with time expiring.

A big headline coming into the game came from Panthers’ running back Rico Dowdle, who spent five seasons with the Cowboys, as he gave his thoughts on facing his former team after rushing for a career-high 206 yards against the Miami Dolphins.

“They got to buckle up…. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason,” Dowdle stated earlier in the week.

Those bold words would later be backed up as Dowdle recorded over 200 total yards for the second week in a row with 183 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards, including a 36-yard touchdown reception. This made him the first player with 230 scrimmage yards in consecutive games since 2014, when Le’Veon Bell did it with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Carolina’s slim victory, paired with another impressive performance, was the perfect revenge game for Dowdle and keeps the Panthers within distance among the teams in the NFC South.

For the Cowboys, a stalled drive on their final possession of the game involved a screen pass and back-to-back checkdown calls, which resulted in a total loss of 12 yards.

Dallas’ defense has also drawn primary concern, which was expected after the team departed from Micah Parsons before the start of the season. The struggles continued as they allowed the Panthers to rack up 410 total yards.

With the issues in Dallas, the team will have to flush this loss down the drain as it hosts division rivals, the Washington Commanders, next week.