{"id":205214,"date":"2024-12-18T14:18:57","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T19:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=205214"},"modified":"2024-12-18T14:18:57","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T19:18:57","slug":"rico-dowdle-cowboys-run-game-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/18\/rico-dowdle-cowboys-run-game-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys Could Have a Top 5 Run Game in 2025 with Rico Dowdle"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the third consecutive game in a row, Rico Dowdle hit over 100 rushing yards in a game. In fact, Dowdle stacked career rushing records game after game. After a season where he struggled to average even a 4.0, he\u2019s cracking 6 to 7 yards per carry. Here\u2019s what has changed for Dowdle and the Dallas Cowboys run game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rico Dowdle Finally Heating Up the Cowboys Run Game for Three Reasons<\/span><\/h2>\n

Offensive Line Struggles Repaired<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although the Cowboys offensive line<\/a> has taken a hit this season, they\u2019ve maintained their strength. In fact, they\u2019ve improved in both pass blocking and run blocking<\/a>. This has allowed Dowdle\u2019s original 3-yard carries to turn into seven, eight, or nine-yard plays. In the past, the Cowboys line has struggled to hold it and shift defenses. Now, there isn\u2019t so much of that. They\u2019re moving seamlessly as a unit. And this is just the start. It\u2019s bound to get better once starters heal up next season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dowdle is the Consistent Starter<\/span><\/h3>\n

Mike McCarthy began the season shuffling through running backs. He had a room full of guys with the potential to be what the Cowboys needed, but he wasn\u2019t sure which one would pop. Dowdle has been plagued with injuries most of his NFL career. Because of this, he wasn\u2019t immediately placed as a starter. Not to mention, the return of fan-favorite Ezekiel Elliott implied that Dowdle wouldn\u2019t see the field as much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then entered McCarthy\u2019s running back committee.<\/a> The purpose was to help prevent one exhausted running back at the end of the season. However, this caused backs to play cold. They\u2019d be taken out before they began to really move the ball. Picking Dowdle as the lone starter made the most sense because he kept providing the Cowboys with the best chance to win. He\u2019s also the only running back on the roster with more than 100 yards in a single game this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Dak Prescott Injury<\/span><\/h3>\n

Prescott getting injured halfway through the season might be the best thing to happen to Rico Dowdle\u2019s career. Prescott getting his $60 million check as the highest-paid player in the league also obligated the Cowboys to use him the most. McCarthy has also been known to neglect the run game and still does it in the current Cowboys season. Without his passing threat on offense and having to rely on a capable but lacking Cooper Rush<\/a>, there was no choice but to open up the run game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dowdle\u2019s career-breaking rushing games have been thanks to the Cowboys not airing it out 40 times a game. Now they can develop themselves as a ground team, a dual-threat offense that isn\u2019t one-dimensional. This makes it harder for defenses to predict and easier for points to be scored. Again, it\u2019ll only get better next season, when Prescott is back on the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Future of the Cowboys Run Game with Rico Dowdle<\/span><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s a possibility that the Cowboys can become one of the best rushing teams in the NFL. It won\u2019t be this year, but it is well on its way. Although he\u2019s currently 15th in the league in total rushing yards<\/a>, he hasn\u2019t had nearly as many carries as guys like Derrick Henry<\/a> and Saquon Barkley<\/a>. Imagine a season where Dowdle gets 230 carries by this time. With his average of 5 yards per carry, that would give him 1,150 rushing yards, which would bump him into third place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Out of running backs, Dowdle currently is 6th for yards per carry. He\u2019s playing like one of the best running backs in the game right now. If he maintains this momentum into 2025 and is given even more opportunities, there could be a resurgence of greatness at the Cowboys running back position. The Cowboys can have one of the best offenses in the league, but only if they get out of their own way and let it happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Image: Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Rico Dowdle at running back, the Dallas Cowboys are looking at a bright future as a Top 5 rushing offense in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5238,"featured_media":205282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,54],"tags":[7422,32191,2236],"class_list":["post-205214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cowboys","category-editorials","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-rico-dowdle","tag-running-backs"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205214"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205283,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205214\/revisions\/205283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}