– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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CHARLOTTE — As the Dallas Cowboys found out so rudely on Sunday afternoon, revenge is a dish best served into the belly and hands of Rico Dowdle.
Dowdle, the former Cowboy, went for 239 yards from scrimmage, his second consecutive breakout performance, as he led the Carolina Panthers to a 30-27 victory over the Dallas inside Bank of America Stadium. Bryce Young threw for three touchdowns for Carolina and led the Panthers down the field on their final drive — which included converting a fourth down on a pass completion right before the two-minute warning — that ended with Ryan Fitzgerald’s 33-yard field goal as time expired.
In the lead-up to Sunday, Dowdle, the sixth-year pro who spent the first five years of his NFL career in Dallas, made it clear with his comments that his former teammates had better be ready because revenge was on his mind. Even with that smack talk out in the open, Dallas was no match for the downhill running of Dowdle and the Panthers, who amassed 216 yards on the ground.
That domination up front helped Young complete 17-of-25 passes for 199 yards, throwing two of his three touchdown passes to rookie Tetairoa McMillan, his first two scores of his NFL career.
Dak Prescott continued to show form worthy of a Most Valuable Player candidate, completing 25-of-34 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. George Pickens caught nine of Prescott’s passes for 168 yards, and his 34-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter gave the Cowboys a 24-20 lead.
Carolina responded on the ensuing drive, with Dowdle accounting for 47 of the 65 yards the Panthers covered on the drive (44 came on the ground on six carries.) McMillan caught a two-yard pass in the end zone from Young to complete the drive, the former’s second score of the game.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Sunday afternoon’s game, with photos taken by staff photographer William Anthony. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page, Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 41 pictures in total.
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