Those numbers don’t blow anyone out of the water, and Dowdle hasn’t eclipsed a 100-yard rushing game or scored a rushing touchdown all season, but that doesn’t mean the ground game isn’t part of the offensive equation. .
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it was terrible,” Dowdle said. “I know our numbers and everything aren’t where we want them to be, but it’s just football.”
The first three weeks on the ground for Dallas have been downright bad, but the unit has schematically refocused on what they do best, and progress is slowly but surely being made.
“It’s just been a lot easier, and we’ve attacked with our bread-and-butter concepts and things we’ve been good at in the past…” Dowdle said. “And just sticking with that, that’s been the most important thing from Week 1 to now.”
Dowdle has also added a lot of value in the receiving game for Dallas this year, throwing for three touchdowns, 24 receptions and 166 yards. That flexibility is a big part of Dowdle’s game and a key element to staying on the field.
“You want to be able to do both. It’s hard to get it off the field when you can get it out of the backfield and catch it out of the backfield just by being versatile,” Dowdle said. “That’s what the game has come to, and I’m certainly proud of that.”
The change to lead back really only concerns the title, as the confidence in Dowdle has been there all season with his teammates, and he continues to put up nothing but good games as Dallas tries to get back in the win column.
“Rico runs fast, he runs fast, runs hard,” Cooper Rush said. “He broke a couple of lungs there for us last week and he’s been doing that all year. He’s been consistent and we look forward to it every time he touches it.”
