Bryce Young speaks up about the emoji Rico Dowdle posted on X

The quarterback preferred to keep this sort of thing in-house.

Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Following the Monday Night Football (MNF) game, Rico Dowdle was upset and frustrated with both the play calling and the loss. The running backs were performing well but were inexplicably given only nine combined carries.

This led to confusion, notably for Dowdle, regarding the team's lack of commitment to the successful running game. He led all running backs by averaging 6.3 yards per carry, including Christian McCaffrey. After the game, tweeted a confused emoji to express his disappointment with how things went.

Yesterday, he told the media that head coach Dave Canales had addressed the team and taken responsibility for not running the ball more.

Context: Rico averaged 6.3 ypc vs SF, but only got six of them. https://t.co/l9MryNTUv7

November 25, 2025

Asked if he was satisfied with Canales response, Dowdle was clear. "I'm definitely satisfied. I mean, it's understandable. Everybody knows he took ownership of us. We take ownership as a team. We gotta do that to balance the game out."

Rico Dowdle says Dave Canales took ownership at a team meeting about not running the ball enough vs SF. Also spoke to Rico on the side about same. pic.twitter.com/TB1TurdpSc

November 26, 2025

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) breaks away for a long gain with less than a minute left in the game against the Green Bay Packers during their football game Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Carolina won 16-13. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Canales and Rico spoke, it was time for Bryce Young to address the issue. "Yeah, [the conversation] wasn't about that specifically. Rico is competitive and obviously wants to win. We always want to win. We didn't get that done. We all have a competitive spirit. We talked about the game and the game plan, and stuff like that is in-house. We don't discuss that on social media, so that'll be our focus."

Bryce Young on his conversation with Panthers running back Rico Dowdle since Dowdle posted the confused emoji on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/9bYeTQyKFe

November 26, 2025

Bryce once again emphasized teamwork and the importance of discussing these kinds of issues only with teammates and the coaching staff. Canales will have the opportunity on Sunday to show if his apologies will translate into performance on the field and if he won't overcorrect the game plan, as had happened earlier in the season.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Panthers studs & duds from their humiliating MNF loss to the 49ers

Takeaways from Carolina Panthers’ sloppy loss to San Francisco

ESPN analyst shares glowing praise for Carolina Panthers offseason

Carolina Panthers predicted to pick Ohio State star in 2026 NFL draft