Panthers RB Rico Dowdle roasts Cowboys after backing-up trash talk

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle warned the Dallas Cowboys, his former club, that they had "got to buckle up" ahead of the Week 6 game involving the teams at Carolina's Bank of America Stadium. 

Dowdle then torched the Cowboys for 239 scrimmage yards in a 30-27 win that improved the Panthers to 3-3 on the season. Following that contest, Dowdle enjoyed some victory laps as he roasted his previous employer.

Cowboys weren't "buckled up" for Rico Dowdle revenge spot

"They wasn't buckled up,'' Dowdle said about the Cowboys, per David Newton of ESPN. 

Last week, Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark dared Dowdle to "back it up" after the ball-carrier delivered his threat about a revenge spot. Dowdle then rushed for 183 yards on 30 carries, and he also contributed four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. 

After the game, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott admitted that Dowdle "got the last laugh" on Sunday. 

"I've been saying all week the main thing is I just wanted to get that win," Dowdle explained. "Big, big for me, but also big for the organization. Getting to .500 and protecting the home field...just got to keep building.''

Dowdle played for the Cowboys from 2020-24, but Dallas let him reach free agency after he rushed for 1,079 yards last season. In Week 5 of the ongoing campaign, he accumulated 234 total yards from scrimmage in a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins. 

ESPN stats show that Dowdle began Monday ranked third in the league with 472 rushing yards on the season. 

Panthers knew Cowboys game was personal for Rico Dowdle

While speaking with reporters after the game, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young made it clear that he and others in the locker room wanted to notch a win over the Cowboys for Dowdle.

"Rico is a competitor," Young added. "That just speaks to the dawg he is. We knew it was personal. We wanted to have his back. That's our brother. ...If it's personal to him, it's personal to us.''

The Panthers will have an opportunity to get above .500 when they play at the winless New York Jets (0-6) on Oct. 19. As of Monday morning, ESPN BET had Carolina as a 1.5-point favorite for that matchup.