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Cowboys vs. Panthers prediction: Dallas looks to prove they made right move in RB revenge game

Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on October 12, 2025

FRISCO, Texas — Two of the NFL’s best running backs at this very moment will square off Sunday afternoon in Charlotte when the Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) roll into town with Javonte Williams to face former Cowboy and new Carolina Panthers (2-3) bellcow Rico Dowdle.

The now-27-year-old running back Rico Dowdle became the first undrafted player in Cowboys history to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2024, and Dallas let him walk in free agency to sign a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Panthers this past offseason. Entering Week 6, Dowdle is fresh off the best game of his career in a 27-24 win against the Miami Dolphins in Week 5. He was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after generating a career-high 206 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries (nine yards a carry) last week. With running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) ruled out for Week 6, Dowdle will be Carolina’s undisputed lead back once again on Sunday against his former team. He’s already sent out a warning shot to his former Cowboys teammates: “buckle up.”

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Dallas opted to bet on 25-year-old running back Javonte Williams, signing him to a one-year, $3 million contract this offseason three years removed from a knee injury that resulted in a torn ACL and LCL. The Cowboys have hit the lottery with Williams so far. Williams’ 5.7 yards per carry is the fourth-best in the NFL, his five rushing touchdowns are tied for the second-most in the league and he leads the NFL in rushing first downs with 25. Nearly a third of Williams’ carries, 31.6% (25 of 79), are going for first downs. That’s the highest rate in the league among 30 players with at least 45 carries this season.

“It’s hard. Rico is a really skilled runner, great vision. He runs hard. The guys who have been around him, we’ve got a ton of new faces, they don’t realize the power that he has. Rico was a guy that we considered keeping, and we kind of fell in love with Javonte,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday. “Were we right? I don’t know. Javonte is doing great. Rico is doing great, but the Carolina Panthers are a damn good run team, and that’s not just because of Rico. It’s because of their offensive line, but I’m proud of Rico.”

When: Sunday, Oct. 12 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Where: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Cowboys -3; O/U 49.5 (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Cowboys vs. Panthers: Need to know

Can Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver George Pickens keep the good times rolling against Panthers Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn and Co.?

Entering Week 6, Prescott leads the NFL in pass attempts (195), pass completions (139) and completions of 25-plus yards (14). That’s bad news for a Panthers defense that is generating the lowest quarterback pressure rate (25.6%) in the entire NFL this season. Dallas also should be welcoming left tackle Tyler Guyton (concussion) and left guard Tyler Smith (knee) back into the starting lineup this week. Guyton practiced fully on Thursday and Friday, and he doesn’t have a game status for Sunday while Smith is officially questionable after being limited in practice all week.

Pickens is already off to a career year through five games as a Dallas Cowboy. His five receiving touchdowns in five games are tied for the second-most in the NFL as well as his single-season career of five he set back in 2023.

“I’ll probably say just one day at a time, but most definitely like you said, it’s a career high. All I can say is the guys, Dak, young o-line [are] stepping up. Because it’s my first year [here], so they’re helping me out as well,” Pickens said on Wednesday.

Just like Pickens was shadowed by New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, he’ll likely be shadowed by Panthers Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn with Cowboys All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (ankle sprain) ruled out for Week 6. Gardner didn’t bother Pickens on his 43-yard touchdown catch over Gardner last week on a vertical route to the end zone.

“Yeah, a lot of hand fighting, knowing he was going to try to hold and grab a lot, so I was definitely trying to not get caught up in that mid-route. It was a post route, kind of got him off the release, and then Dak put the ball up,” Pickens said. … “Definitely trying to get a step on him [Gardner] because we know he can’t, he has a hard time playing the ball in the air. … I think we had a drive before that, we wanted to score then, but we went three-and-out. So when we got back out there, it was definitely like ‘let’s put up another one.’”

Schottenheimer, Dallas’ offensive play caller, enters Sunday with plenty of respect for Horn’s abilities having coached his father, Joe, in the early stages of the wide receiver’s 12-season NFL career.

“First of all, I know his dad. Joe Horn played for my dad. I was on the [Kansas City Chiefs] staff as a young QC when Joe was there [from 1996-1999]. Really love Joe and he’s obviously done a great job mentoring Jaycee. Yeah, just dynamic coverage skills,” Schottenheimer said on Wednesday. “Really, it’s competitive. Very confident, great transition. I can see why the Cowboys and a lot of teams coveted him. I think he’s playing at a high level with the way he not only covers, but with the way he tackles. He’s an excellent blitzer. He got free on us last year in the game with a corner blitz on a third down that we miss-ID’d. There’s a lot to like.”

Will Dallas be able to smother Panthers quarterback Bryce Young for the third year in a row?

In a scheduling quirk, the Cowboys are preparing to face 2023 first overall pick quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers for a third season in a row despite not being in the same division. Dallas has won both matchups by an aggregate score of 64-24 with Young throwing for 171.0 passing yards per game, two touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 61.4% of his passes (35-57). This season, he has thrown for under 200 yards in four of the Panthers’ five games played. That makes Sunday an ideal matchup for a Dallas defense that is still finding its footing under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

“Yeah, [he’s] more comfortable [this season]. The guy had a first-year head coach who was fired. Then, a new play caller took over his first year: went from Frank Reich to Thomas Brown, really good friend of mine. Good coach. He’s in New England now. To Dave [Canales] coming in, [offensive coordinator] Brad Izdik and Dave being the play caller, he’s more comfortable,” Schottenheimer said on Wednesday. “I think anytime we talk about bringing a team back from being down 17, I think nothing, last week against Miami. To be able to go and do that, that’s growth, and that’s maturity. That’s something that he’ll pull from, and the guys will have confidence. [Wide receiver]Tet McMillan was a great draft pick. You guys know we loved Tet, had some love for him. … They got a stable of backs, it’s not just Rico. … Their run game system has been in place for awhile around the league going back to Tampa Bay with their running coaches. There’s a commitment there to run the football, which is no surprise. They came from Seattle, Pete Carroll. You better be able to run the football.”

The Cowboys defense is fresh off of sacking Jets quarterback Justin Fields a season-high five times in Week 5, but there will be an adjustment this week when it comes to tackling the 5-foot-10-inch quarterback on Sunday. Fortunately for Dallas, Panthers right tackler Taylor Moton (elbow) will miss Week 6.

“You got to lower your target, you got to come balanced, he’s an athletic guy. He ducked under me the first time we played them, so last year, I was like ‘damn, I really got to make sure I lower my pad level and lower my target,’” Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said on Wednesday. “Someone else cleaned it up, but those are the kind of things that you just lay awake at night. You just kind of stare at your ceiling because you let one slip.”