FRISCO, Texas - Injuries and limited opportunities have held Rico Dowdle back over the course of his five seasons with the Cowboys. On Sunday night in Pittsburgh however, he proved he could be a leader in the Dallas run game.
Dowdle had a career-high in carries (20) and rushing yards (87) in the win over the Steelers, the highest output from a Cowboys running back this season in both categories. With one of the NFL's best run defenses in the Detroit Lions around the corner, Dowdle is looking to continue to augment his performances.
"I'm very confident," Dowdle said. "It's just always been about getting the opportunities, making the most of them, and finding that rhythm."
Things started to click for Dowdle in the third quarter on Sunday night on the Cowboys' 16-play, 90-yard touchdown drive. He had 9 touches for 58 yards on the drive, including a 22-yard receiving touchdown to cap it off and give Dallas a 13-10 lead. The Cowboys continuously got the look they wanted from the Steelers' defense, and Dowdle made them pay.
"They didn't adjust to what we were running, and we literally were just gashing on them." Dowdle said.
Even though Tyler Guyton went down in the second quarter with a knee injury, Tyler Smith and T.J. Bass filled in perfectly on the left side of the offensive line to create space for Dowdle in the run game. It's just another example of one of the early-season phrases that every player, coach, and fan knows and loves: Next man up.
"It's always been the case here, guys going down, guys have to step up, that's the way we practice and the way we prepare," Dowdle said. "When it's that time to make that play and get your opportunity, you definitely have to take full advantage of it."
Dowdle made the most of his increased opportunities in Pittsburgh and will now face a rested Lions defense that is third in the NFL in rushing yards allowed this season (363). Remember though that Pittsburgh wasn't very far behind, only giving up 456 yards on the ground this season thus far. Now, the opportunity arises to truly establish a strong ground game after a slow start to the 2024 season.
"Just continuing to try and build on it, we're playing against another great run defense," Dowdle said. "It's going to be a challenge, and we'll have to face it how we did last season... just have to continue to stack."
Missing 30 games in three seasons, including the entire 2021 season with a hip injury, hasn't given Dowdle a lot of time to stack performances together. And yet off his largest workload on the ground to date, he's exactly where he wants to be physically.
"I actually feel pretty great, I thought I was going to feel more sore but I definitely feel great." Dowdle said.
Offseason moves like resigning Ezekiel Elliott and adding a veteran like Dalvin Cook to the practice squad gave the Cowboys options on the ground, but over the course of the last two weeks, Dowdle has found his stride.
"I think it showed what we can do when we do find a rhythm." Dowdle said on the Cowboys' rushing success against Pittsburgh.
Success has come in the receiving game for Dowdle as well, who has caught a touchdown pass in two consecutive weeks. It's the first time a Cowboy back has done that since Robert Thomas in 2000, and a touchdown catch on Sunday would mark the first time in franchise history that a back has caught a touchdown in three straight games. Despite the lack of historical success in the receiving game for running backs, Dowdle's growing confidence expands to that facet of his game as well.
"I always think I've been able to be a receiver out of the backfield, it's just about getting the opportunity to be a receiver out of the backfield and make those type of plays." Dowdle said.
We'll see how Dowdle stacks up against one of the NFL's most proficient rushing offenses in the Lions on Sunday, with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery both among the top 20 running backs in the league in yards thus far this season.
