Rico Dowdle said last week that his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, better be buckled up for their Week 6 clash.
Dowdle proved that they may not have been.
On Sunday, Dowdle ran 30 times for 183 yards. He added four catches for 56 yards.
And it was enough to lead the Panthers past Dallas in a 30-27 victory.
Afterward, Dowdle had a follow-up.
"They wasn't buckled up," he told reporters of his former team.
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The Cowboys seemingly felt Dowdle couldn't repeat his 2024 production.
Last season, he carried the ball 235 times for 1,079 yards, a 4.6 yards per carry average. He also caught 39 passes for 249 yards. In total, Dowdle scored five touchdowns.
He had only run for 385 career yards dating to his rookie season in 2020, so it was a massive breakout.
And so, when the time came, the Cowboys let Dowdle leave in free agency.
Dowdle signed a one-year contract with Carolina for $6.25 million (although only $2.75 million in base value). Javonte Williams came to Dallas for one year and a base value of $3 million (and the Cowboys also added Miles Sanders and rookie Jaydon Blue).
With Chuba Hubbard out, Dowdle has been the starter, and he's had two monster weeks in a row.
The teams coming up on Carolina's schedule better buckle up, too.
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