Recently, the Dallas Cowboys dropped to 2-3-1 on the young 2025 NFL season with a crushing road loss at the hands of the Carolina Panthers. Dallas seemed to be in control of this game for most of the afternoon, but ultimately could not come up with stops down the stretch, eventually losing on a game-winning field goal by the Panthers.

One of the main storylines coming out of this game was the way Panthers running back Rico Dowdle torched the Cowboys' defense after calling out his former team leading up to the matchup.

Recently, sports media personality and Cowboys fan Skip Bayless put the team on blast for the way they were unable to stop their former player.

“I didn't see this coming. I was so angry after this game. I posted a video in which I flipped off Jerry Jones,” said Bayless, per The Arena: Gridiron on X, formerly Twitter. “Just remember, the Dallas defense got called out by an ex-running back. He said, ‘you better buckle up,' and we just buckled. From the start, his first three touches go, nine yard carry, 12 yard carry, 13 yard catch and run. And I'm like, ‘what are you doing?'

“This was gutless, this was heartless, and worst of all, it's just prideless on both sides of the ball,” he added. “Do you realize that Rico Dowdle had the most combined yards (on Sunday) of any of any former player against a former team in the history of the National Football League. That's what we allowed Rico Dowdle to do.”

A tough loss for the Cowboys

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Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium.
Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Heading into the matchup against the Panthers, things were starting to look up for the Dallas Cowboys, as the team had recently blown out the New York Jets, prior to pulling off a tie against the Green Bay Packers.

However, the loss in Carolina quickly shattered those good vibes and brought Cowboys fans back to their reality. While Dak Prescott continues to play like an MVP candidate on a weekly basis, the Cowboys' defense is clearly not good enough to allow the team to compete, as evidenced by Dowdle's explosion.

Dallas will next take the field on Sunday vs the Washington Commanders.