ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys have wanted to get Rico Dowdle more touches for the last few weeks. Thursday's win over the New York Giants showed why.
Dowdle rushed for a career high 112 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries, good for 5.1 yards per carry. He also had the Cowboys longest rush of the season by a running back on a 22-yard rush in the first quarter. In the Thanksgiving spirit, Dowdle was thankful for his offensive linemen paving the way to success up front.
"It feel great, got to give all the credit to those guys up front," Dowdle said. "They were able to get movement, a little bit of space, and we were able to make it go and it paid off good for us."
The Cowboys offensive line has seen a lot of different faces in different places up front due to injury, and it's certainly hindered the run game. The last two weeks however have been a different story, and Dowdle is taking notice.
"Very impressive, if you watch last week and this week, I think those guys did a hell of a job up front," Dowdle said. "That just comes with the preparation that those guys put in and staying ready for when their opportunity comes and making the most of it."
When Dowdle is playing well, it's because he's in a rhythm. Despite not getting a carry in the last three offensive drives of the half, Dowdle stayed in tune en-route to 50 yards on 8 carries in the first half, and 62 yards on 14 carries in the second.
"I wish I would've had him in a better position earlier in the game," McCarthy said. "But I just think that's just really clear evidence of what he can do if he gets to touch the ball north of 20 carries."
McCarthy's confidence in Dowdle is rising week by week, and the rhythm he's gotten into over the last couple of weeks is no surprise to this team, because they see the work Dowdle puts in.
"Rico is a young man that has worked incredibly hard," McCarthy said. "He's fought through the injury challenges in the early part of his career, you're just getting to see what we see every day."
The Cowboys have been ravaged by injuries across the board, but now head into a long break with two wins pushing them forward into an opportunity to get healthy and keep stacking more.
"Rest is definitely important," Dowdle said. "We've got 10 days before that next one, we've got a little mini bye week in this week, I'm pretty sure in these 10 days we'll be able to get our bodies back."
And it sounds like the carries will keep stacking for Dowdle too, as Dallas heads into the third trimester of the season looking to keep this momentum week in and week out.
"This team needs that," McCarthy said of Dowdle's rushing performance. "We need to run the football not only for our offense, but for our football team."
