The Dallas Cowboys got back in the win column this week, but so did the Carolina Panthers, who will host the Cowboys in Week 6. The Panthers erased a 17-point deficit by running the ball down the Dolphins' throats, and former Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle, who is now in Carolina, played a huge part in that.
Monstrous doesn't feel like a big enough word to describe the day Dowdle had against the Dolphins. He tallied 203 yards on the ground off 23 carries and found the end zone once all while averaging 9.0 yards per carry.
Now, with his former team next up on the Panthers' schedule, Dowdle issued a warning to the Cowboys. Hopefully the Cowboys defense is listening and take this threat personally and come out swinging the way they did against the Jets this week.
"They gotta buckle up. I think they know," Dowdle said in the locker room following his massive performance against the Dolphins.
Rico Dowdle tells Cowboys to "buckle up" ahead of Week 6 match-up
The Cowboys defense has been a major storyline this season because, up until Sunday, they were unable to stop any offense matched up against them. Even in their blowout win over the Jets, they still allowed Breece Hall to rush for 113 yards and average over eight yards a carry. That doesn't bode well for their date with the Panthers next week.
Dowdle will definitely have added motivation against his former team, too. This is Dowdle's first year in Carolina after the Cowboys opted not to keep him in the offseason. The majority of fans did not approve of that decision, but Javonte Williams, who rushed for over 100 yards against the Jets, has proven to be the biggest steal of free agency.
Dowdle was clearly riding high on confidence - and adrenaline - after a career performance. He was the catalyst behind the Panthers' win. And there is clearly a part of him that wants to prove the Cowboys wrong for letting him go.
The hope is that the Cowboys' defense hears this warning and shows up big next week to ensure that Dowdle doesn't have another big day. Regardless, if the defense answers the call, Dowdle's warning will be used as fuel for the entire Dallas locker room.