Rico Dowdle appeared on the Carolina Panthers' injury report with a quadriceps injury that put his availability for Sunday on question. Dowdle's absence would be a very lucky break for the New Orleans Saints defense that's struggled to defend the run this year.
The Panthers are one of the more unexpected stories in the National Football League this year, currently in second place in the NFC South, and Dowdle is a big reason for that. He's currently third in the league in rushing yards with 735. Additionally, about 88.7% of those yards have been since week five, when he was named the team's starter. It's only been three weeks, and Dowdle is almost at the top of the NFL.
Dowdle is trending upwards. His quadriceps injury kept him out of Wednesday's practice, but he practiced in a limited capacity on Thursday. If Dowdle is unable to play on Sunday, the Panthers will likely turn to Chuba Hubbard, who they benched after the first four weeks of the season.
If RB Rico Dowdle can't play on Sunday, the Saints will catch a break
The Saints would be very lucky if Rico Dowdle is unable to go this Sunday. So far this year, the black and gold have allowed 1,165 yards on the ground, averaging 129.4 yards given up per game. Last week was especially bleak, as the Saints allowed 171 rushing yards (the second most all season) en route to a 34-10 shellacking by the Los Angeles Rams.
However, even if Dowdle is unable to go, that doesn't mean the Saints will have an easy task on his hands. Hubbard is far from chopped liver despite his struggles this year leading to him getting benched. He only had 217 yards and zero touchdowns on the ground through the first four weeks, but he is also coming off of the best season of his NFL career. In 2024, Hubbard gathered a career-high 1,195 yards on the ground.
One of the top things on the Saints' list of things to do this week needs to be a focus on the run defense. If there's any hope of a win this Sunday, the Saints will need to at least manage the Panthers' run game, because Bryce Young has only thrown over 200 yards once this season. If New Orleans can put the game on Young's shoulders, the second win of the season might be in reach.