Hitting the 1,000-yard rushing mark suddenly looks doable for Cowboys' RB Rico Dowdle
It is still possible that Rico Dowdle could hit 1,000 yards rushing this season.
It's almost unthinkable to believe the Dallas Cowboys have a shot at having a running back who could potentially hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark for them this season. They have been almost embarrassingly bad at running the ball this year, but as of late shown signs of life thanks to a large part RB Rico Dowdle.
As things currently stand, Dowdle is 27th in the league with 600 total rushing yards on 134 attempts and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season. With five games left to play in the regular season, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility to see No. 23 reach 1,000 rushing yards this year. It won't be easy though.
Over the last two weeks Dowdle has rushed for a total of 198 yards. Prior to that uptick in production though, he rushed for a total of 181 yards in the previous four games. In there lies the problem. Dallas' rushing attack has underperformed and been inconsistent all season. Despite that, Dowdle still has a chance to hit the 1000-yard mark.
The way the schedule shakes out for the rest of the regular-season, Dallas will be playing against several teams who rank in the bottom of the league defensively. The Cincinnati Bengals (128.2), Carolina Panthers (166.8), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (117.2), and Washington Commanders (137.0) are all giving up well over 100 rushing yards per game to opponents.
Rushing for 100 yards in each of these next four games absolutely looks doable for Dowdle. But, even if he doesn't, all he needs to do is average 80 yards per game the rest of the year to have a 1,000-yard rushing season. It definitely looks obtainable, even for a player who only has one 100-yard rushing game in his career, last week against the Giants (112).
Dowdle, of course. can't do this all on his own. He needs his offensive line to continue opening up running lanes for him, Mike McCarthy to continue to commit to the running game, and he needs to continue to run the ball like he has the past few weeks. If all of that happens, a 1,000-yard rushing season is within his grasp.
Who would have thought that was possible after a terrible start to the season?
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