The Panthers will welcome the Rams to Carolina as a massive underdog in the early game on Saturday during the Wild Card Round.
If they want any shot at an upset, the Panthers are going to need a big game from their breakout running back, Rico Dowdle.
Dowdle burst onto the scene earlier in the season, stealing the RB1 spot from Chuba Hubbard and delighting the Panthers and fantasy football owners alike.
But in recent weeks, Dowdle has quietly taken a step back from the brief otherworldly stretch he put up early in the fall.
Since running wild for 130 yards on the ground against the Packers in Week 9, which was his third 100-plus yard game in five contests, Dowdle has yet to have a game of 60 or more rushing yards.
Under the hood, it looks even worse than that.
Since that game, Dowdle has gone for just 3.2 yards per carry.
A month-and-a-half ago, when the Panthers took down the Rams 31-28 in a thriller, Dowdle ran for 59 yards, but it took him 18 attempts (3.2 yards per carry) to get to that number.
With Dowdle struggling, it appears Carolina is slightly changing course.
In recent weeks, Panthers head coach Dave Canales has seemingly shifted away from Dowdle.
The former Cowboys ball carrier hasn’t had more than 12 rushing attempts in a game for the past three weeks.
Dowdle had previously had 16 or more rushing attempts in eight of his 10 previous games.
Betting on the NFL?
I’m buying Dowdle’s downtrend.
Bet on another quiet day for the Panthers running back.
The play: Rico Dowdle to have fewer than 47.5 rushing yards (-115, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
