By Dennis Cox
Rico Dowdle is the engine for the offense: Running back Rico Dowdle was finally given the starting role over incumbent Chuba Hubbard by head coach Dave Canales, and Dowdle backed it up with another impressive performance, finishing with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries while also adding a pair of catches for 11 yards. What was also impressive, his 5.2 yards per carry was far greater than the 3.7 YPC that the Packers defense was allowing this season, which was fourth best in the NFL going into Week 9.
In a day where QB Bryce Young was mostly ineffective, it was the run game for the Panthers that moved the ball with consistency, but also allowing the Carolina Panthers to maintain control of the game clock, effectively ‘shortening’ the game. Both the Panthers and Packers each finished with seven offensive drives, which was the recipe needed to slow down Jordan Love.
In the three games where Rico Dowdle has been the starting running back (Week 5 vs Miami, Week 6 vs Dallas, and Week 9 vs Green Bay), he’s delivered 519 yards rushing (173 YPG) on 78 carries (6.65 YPC), and three touchdowns, while also adding nine catches for 95 yards and a TD. That’s nearly 205 total yards per game as the feature back. Let’s not forget while splitting carries with Hubbard in Weeks 7 and 8, Dowdle rushed the ball 25 times for 133 yards over those two games.
Against the Dolphins, it was the legs of Dowdle that carried the team back into the game after early turnovers by Young put the team in a deficit, and it was Dowdle again who dragged his team into and through the fight against the Packers.
Plus, the Panthers are 5-0 when Dowdle carries the ball more 10 or more times, but 0-4 when he has less than 10 times.
Kudos to the offensive line: What’s also impressive about Rico Dowdle’s performance is the fact it’s happened with a different starting line combination in nearly every game this season, and having to deal with injuries during the game. Early in the game, starting left guard Damian Lewis left the game briefly (he was listed as QUESTIONABLE going into the game with an oblique injury) but later returned. Jake Curhan filled in during his absence. Then right guard Chandler Zavala left the game with an elbow injury and didn’t return, with Curhan sliding into his spot for the remainder of the game. Zavala was filling in for Brady Christensen, who tore his Achilles last week against the Buffalo Bills, who had been filling in for injured starter Robert Hunt. Backup tackle Yosh Nijman started in place of starting RT Taylor Moton, though Moton was active but didn’t start due to a knee injury. Austin Corbett got the start at center for Cade Mays, who had took over the starting center role for Corbett when Corbett suffered a knee injury earlier this year and missed four games due to being on injured reserve. Oh, and Curhan was signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad back on October 1st due to the injuries that were suffered earlier in the year.
It's been a revolving door, but what’s helped the Carolina Panthers is that the nine offensive lineman on the roster at the start of the season were all with the team in 2024, providing head coach Dave Canales with players who understand the team’s philosophy and scheme. That continuity has been paying off this season.
The Panthers will need more from Bryce Young: A stat line of 11 of 20 passing for 102 yards and an interception isn’t sustainable for the Panthers long term. Was it enough today? Yes. But the Panthers can’t expect to win each with Dowdle and the defense shouldering the load while the starting quarterback turns the ball over in the red zone on a poorly thrown pass in the end zone. The Panthers and Young are fortunate the missed points didn’t come back to haunt them in a tight game.
The recipe for the Panthers is clear: strong run game, bend-but-don’t-break defense, and a short passing game that helps prevent the quarterback from turning the ball over too much. In Young’s career, the Panthers have a win-loss record of 8-5 when Young attempts less than 30 passes in a game, but are just 3-20 when Young throws 30 or more times.
In four of Bryce Young’s starts this season, the offense has scored 16 points or less four times, and Young has thrown for over 200 or more yards just once this year. Young’s yards per game dropped from 184 YPG (30th in the NFL) down to 173.75 YPG after his 102 yard performance against the Packers.
Entering the game against Green Bay, the league average completion percentage on the season was 65.7%. Young has been equal or above that rate just twice this season, and his completion rate dropped to 61.1% on the season after Sunday’s game against the Packers. (He entered the week at 61.9%, which was 26th in the NFL.)
Simply put, the Panthers need more from the former No. 1 overall pick if it wants to reach the playoffs, which is a real possibility now with a record of 5-4 and games against the lowly New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons on the horizon.