Rico Dowdle said he felt confident early in the Carolina Panthers’ 16-13 win over the Green Bay Packers that the team could control the ground game. “I think early on I think my first run, it was like a duo. I went for like (9) yards,” Dowdle said after the game about when he realized success was possible.
The Panthers received the ball first and aimed to take advantage of strong winds at Lambeau Field by establishing their running attack. After an initial penalty and short gain, Dowdle ran for nine yards on second-and-14, which set a tone for the rest of the contest.
“It’s usually the same situation where you get that first one and the feeling, and like I said, it just comes with trust and confidence,” Dowdle added, crediting his offensive line. “Those guys, we’ll be able to do it any time with the guys we have up front, guys stepping in, making plays, so just got to have the confidence and trust them.”
Despite penalties leading to a punt on their opening drive, Carolina found success against a Packers defense ranked third in rushing defense entering Sunday’s matchup. The Panthers focused more on their own preparation than opponent statistics.
“Those guys up front, they’ve been doing a great job all season,” Dowdle said. “Just allow me to get to the second level and executing their blocks at a high level.
“And we can do it against anybody. I don’t really, I never really look at numbers like they’re the top run defense. It’s just, each week is its own. We take each week as its own.
“Looking at the film, I knew we’d have a chance to have a good one.”
Dowdle entered Week 9 averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season and continued his form with 5.2 yards per attempt against Green Bay.
“It was from carry one, you know, it was attitude, it was aggression and violence at the end of it,” head coach Dave Canales said about Dowdle’s approach during Sunday’s game.
A key moment came late in regulation when Dowdle broke free for 19 yards on second-and-10 from midfield with less than a minute remaining in a tied game. He described how he capitalized on defensive confusion: “They float left and I just kept—the front side opened up… Things like that definitely make a huge difference because you never know what the defense is thinking, so they definitely got to adjust.”
Dowdle finished with 25 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns along with two receptions for 11 yards—bringing his season total to four rushing touchdowns through nine games.
“Oh yeah, for sure, I definitely think I’m playing my best,” Dowdle acknowledged regarding his performance this year. “All the numbers speak for it, so I definitely think I’m playing my best ball.
“But like I said, I got to give credit to those guys up front. They allow me to do it; we’ve got to keep continuing to build off of it.”
A penalty following his second touchdown forced kicker Ryan Fitzgerald into attempting an extra point from 48 yards into heavy wind; Fitzgerald missed short but later converted a walk-off field goal after another successful drive led by Dowdle.
“We got to do better in those situations,” Canales commented about managing late-game penalties. “Especially in a tight game like this, you know, we put ourselves in a hard spot.”
Added Dowdle: “I know I just wanted to make up for it, so I knew I had to come out there and keep putting my best foot forward because I didn’t want that to end up biting us.”
Veteran Chuba Hubbard also contributed as both kickoff returner and pass protector while seeing some red zone action; however, Canales emphasized wanting more of what Dowdle brings: “It really does affect the group… It affects the whole sideline when they see that kind of energy… it’s who we want to be…”
