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Rico Dowdle accurately dubbed big loser from Wild Card Weekend

The Panthers came up short on Saturday in a barnburner vs. the Rams. Carolina’s leading rusher this season had a forgettable afternoon in the playoff loss.
Russell Baxter|
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

On Saturday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium, the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers gave it their all against the talented and favored Los Angeles Rams. Dave Canales’s team owned the lead in the fourth quarter on two occasions, taking a 31-27 lead with 2:39 to play thanks for a Jalen Coker TD grab via Bryce Young.

When it was all said and done, Matthew Stafford and Colby Parkinson had the last laugh in the Rams’ 34-31 victory.

It proved to be a disappointing loss but an encouraging season for a team that had not been to the playoffs since 2017.

Not everything coming out of the game was positive. Arguably the team’s best offensive free-agent addition this offseason by Panthers’ general manager Dan Morgan closed out 2025 with a whimper and not a bang.

Bleacher Report NFL writers Brent Sobleski and Kristopher Knox took stock of the five first-round playoff games played so far, choosing winners and losers, and selecting a takeaway for each club. Running back Rico Dowdle, who rushed for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns, was designated the game’s “loser” by the duo.

“The Panthers played their best football when Rico Dowdle became the offensive focal point. His role has diminished over the last month of the regular season and bottomed out during the Wild Card contest. Dowdle’s nine rushing yards tied for a season low. He ran for 10 yards a week earlier against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, the 1,000-yard rusher took a back seat Saturday to Chuba Hubbard, who scored a pair of touchdowns.”

Rico Dowdle
Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs the ball against Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) and linebacker Drake Thomas (42) (obscured) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After rushing for 130 yards and two scores in a 16-13 win at Green Bay in Week 9, Dowdle ran for less than 60 yards in each of his last nine total appearances. Of course, the Panthers also de-emphasized the run down the stretch, which can’t be ignored.

So what does the future hold for a two-time 1,000-yard runner, who could enter the open market in March? “Dowdle’s finish will almost certainly affect how he’s viewed upon entering free agency.”

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.