Rico Dowdle, the Cowboys’ offense finds ways to succeed despite a tough day from a star

ARLINGTON, Texas – In the fourth quarter of Thursday’s win over the Giants Dallas Cowboys Running back Rico Dowdle took a throw while moving left, turned upfield and faced a sight often missing from the team’s offense this season: a big lane to run through.

Dowdle rushed into the open field and gained 19 yards, although the play itself was not a turning point Dallas’ 27-20 victory on Thanksgiving Dayit was significant for various reasons.

For one thing, that carry sent Dowdle over 100 rushing yards on the day, ending a stunning drought. Prior to Dowdle’s performance, no Cowboys ball carrier had exceeded 100 yards since Tony Pollard in Week 3 of the 2023 season.

And runs like this fourth-quarter gallop helped Dowdle and the Cowboys prove they can put up points even when All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb isn’t at his best.

Lamb, long considered the game-winning engine of the Dallas offense, dropped three passes and had a season-low two catches on Thursday before being sidelined in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. But the Cowboys’ offense was still running well, thanks in part to Dowdle’s 112 yards on 22 carries and his first rushing touchdown of the season.

“Anytime you have a running game in the league, everything else becomes easier,” wide receiver Brandin Cooks said. “So kudos to Rico and the line for doing their thing tonight because it definitely makes things easier for us. It opens the passing game. You saw that tonight.”

Dowdle has been the Cowboys’ starting running back since Week 2, but for most of the year he has lacked the opportunity to shoulder a heavy workload. Dallas attempted to establish a backfield rotation early in the season and faced large deficits in several games, limiting their ability to establish the run.

On Thursday, Dowdle set career highs in rushing attempts and yards to help Dallas (5-7) bury New York (2-10). Dowdle said he always believed he could maintain his success if given the chance to find a better rhythm with a regular diet of porters.

“It feels great,” Dowdle said. “(I) have to give all the credit to the guys at the top. They were able to create movement, a bit of space, we were able to get things going. It paid off well for us, but it definitely feels great.”

As the Cowboys try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, they will need to maintain some semblance of the groove on offense that they found on Thursday. Last season, it was the combination of quarterback Dak Prescott and Lamb that helped Dallas get to the postseason, but Prescott underwent season-ending hamstring surgery earlier this month and Lamb struggled to get started on Thanksgiving while in pain played.

With backup Cooper Rush starting his fourth straight game, Lamb rushed for 39 yards and ended his NFL-record streak of 44 straight games with at least four receptions.

Lamb said earlier this week that he felt physically weak. He was slow to get off a play in the third quarter against the Giants and spent much of the second half on the sideline. Coach Mike McCarthy later said the team held Lamb out because of a shoulder injury.

Still, Dowdle, Rush and the offense thrived with the NFL’s all-time receivers leader out of the mix. It helped that Cooks, playing for the first time since late September, caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter and scored a game-winning third-down conversion in the closing minutes to cap a triumphant return from a knee infection.

In total, five Cowboys receivers other than Lamb had multiple catches. That group was led by five catches from tight end Luke Schoonmaker, who played in place of concussion-affected starter Jake Ferguson.

“It just shows how many playmakers we have on this team,” wide receiver KaVontae Turpin said. “Especially with B. Cooks, he sealed the deal with the third-down catch. We knew this was going to happen to him before he got the ball. We have playmakers everywhere at running back and tight ends, even when Jake Ferguson was out, Schoonmaker made plays. It’s all of them. We have playmakers everywhere.”

Turpin led the team with 53 yards on four catches and continued to expand his role beyond kick and punt return duties.

“I’m a damn playmaker,” Turpin said. “I feel like when I get the ball, people should expect to see something special. So when I get the ball in my hands, I want to make a difference and get people out of their seats. It’s me. I want to show that I deserve these opportunities (on offense) and I will take advantage of that. Every chance I get.”

The Cowboys’ offense wasn’t flawless. He failed to cross the goal line on two early red zone trips, and the team needed linebacker DeMarvion Overshown’s interception return for a touchdown to take the lead in the second quarter.

Finally, Rush delivered a handful of impressive throws, including a 36-yard deep ball to Jalen Tolbert. Meanwhile, Dowdle and the offensive line saw more opportunities to unleash their power than they had all season – and the Cowboys’ best rushing results of the season followed. So does the second win in a row.

“That’s been a focus the last few weeks to get the running game going,” Dowdle said. “I think we did that.”