One of the Carolina Panthers' top players sent a strong message to head coach Dave Canales following their loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
One week after putting together what was probably their most impressive offensive performance of the season, the Carolina Panthers laid an egg against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, losing 20-9 in a defeat that was a huge blow to their playoff hopes.
The Panthers managed just 230 yards of offense on the evening, managing just 69 yards on the ground. Considering the ground game has been such a significant part of Carolina's resurgence this season, to see the Panthers go so far away from it against the 49ers was odd.
Rico Dowdle definitely seemed to take issue with Dave Canales' decision-making afterward, posting a confused emoji on social media and then making his thoughts clear to Canales.
"Just frustrated with the outcome of the game,'' Dowdle said, via ESPN's David Newton. "I thought we had an opportunity to run the ball more. Coach addressed it with the team. ... He talked to me this morning about it. We've got to run the ball for us to have our best chance and things like that.''
Dowdle carried the ball just six times for 38 yards versus San Francisco. It marked his lowest usage rate since Week 2, when he was serving as Chuba Hubbard's backup.
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.To be fair, Dowdle's efficiency had slipped considerably over the prior couple of weeks. He toted the rock 19 times for 45 yards in a Week 11 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and in Week 10, he went for 53 yards on 18 attempts in a loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Regardless, Dowdle has been a revelation for the Panthers throughout the season as a whole, rushing for 871 yards and five touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry.
The 27-year-old added that he squashed things with Canales.
"I'm definitely satisfied,'' Dowdle said. "It's understandable. Everybody knows. He knows. He took ownership of it. We take ownership of it as a team. We know what we've got to do.''
Carolina signed Dowdle to a one-year deal in free agency, expecting that he would serve as a good complementary back to Hubbard.
But when Hubbard went down with a calf injury earlier this year, Dowdle stepped in and stole the starting job. He has been one of the most prolific running backs in football since then, so if the Panthers want to win, they should probably feed him a whole lot more than they did in Week 12.