Rico Dowdle snapped the pathetic Cowboys streak on Thanksgiving

It’s not clear why Dallas Cowboys fans figured out that Rico Dowdle should be the lead back so much sooner than Mike McCarthy and the rest of the coaching staff, but the Cowboys are finally leaning into their best running back.

The move to use Dowdle more was completed during Thursday’s game against the New York Giants, when Dowdle found the end zone for a third-quarter touchdown that extended the lead to 27-10 and put the game out of reach. But the touchdown was more significant than it initially seemed.

Not only was this the first rushing touchdown of the season for Dowdle, but it was also the first rushing touchdown in a home game for any Cowboys running back this season. Seriously.

The only rushing TD the Cowboys scored at AT&T Stadium this year came in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens and came from Dak Prescott. The team’s other two rushing scores, both by Ezekiel Elliott, came on the road.

The fact that the team’s best running back didn’t have his first touchdown all year until Week 13 really highlights how poorly this offense has been managed all season. Dowdle came into this game averaging 4.4 yards per carry, compared to just 3.2 for Elliott (who ranked second among Cowboys running backs).

Dowdle surpassed 100 yards in a game for the first time in his career on Thursday, appearing to be the Dallas offense’s best player.

I won’t go so far as to say that the Cowboys would be more legitimate postseason contenders at this point had they chosen Dowdle earlier in the year (there are too many issues to narrow it down to just this one), but the Die Running back situation perfectly reflects how much Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy screwed up this season.

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