Ryan Fitzgerald’s 33-yard field goal as time expired closed out Carolina’s 30–27 win over Dallas at Bank of America Stadium on October 12, 2025 — a Week 6 game in which Rico Dowdle posted 239 yards from scrimmage against the franchise that employed him for five seasons. Those 239 yards set a Carolina Panthers single-game franchise record, clearing the 237-yard mark Christian McCaffrey held twice.
Table of Contents
Game Information
| Date | Sunday, October 12, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 1:00 PM ET |
| Venue | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| Broadcast | FOX |
| Attendance | 71,619 |
| Time of Game | 3:00 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-3-1 (1-3 Away) |
| Carolina Panthers | 3-3 (3-0 Home) |
Final Score
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Carolina Panthers | 3 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
Scoring Summary
| Qtr | Time | Scoring Play | Drive | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 9:08 | Ryan Fitzgerald 31-yd FG | 8 plays, 63 yds, 4:09 | CAR 3–0 |
| 1st | 4:48 | Brandon Aubrey 23-yd FG | 10 plays, 68 yds, 4:20 | 3–3 |
| 2nd | 14:56 | Hunter Luepke 3-yd pass from Prescott (Aubrey XP) | 4 plays, 12 yds, 2:09 | DAL 10–3 |
| 2nd | 11:29 | Tetairoa McMillan 19-yd pass from Young (Fitzgerald XP) | 6 plays, 65 yds, 3:27 | 10–10 |
| 2nd | 3:39 | Jake Ferguson 19-yd pass from Prescott (Aubrey XP) | 13 plays, 77 yds, 7:50 | DAL 17–10 |
| 2nd | 0:20 | Ryan Fitzgerald 55-yd FG | 9 plays, 29 yds, 3:19 | DAL 17–13 |
| 3rd | 13:19 | Rico Dowdle 36-yd pass from Young (Fitzgerald XP) | 4 plays, 80 yds, 1:41 | CAR 20–17 |
| 3rd | 2:38 | George Pickens 34-yd pass from Prescott (Aubrey XP) | 6 plays, 73 yds, 2:50 | DAL 24–20 |
| 4th | 12:20 | Tetairoa McMillan 2-yd pass from Young (Fitzgerald XP) | 10 plays, 65 yds, 5:18 | CAR 27–24 |
| 4th | 9:20 | Brandon Aubrey 28-yd FG | 10 plays, 61 yds, 3:00 | 27–27 |
| 4th | 0:00 | Ryan Fitzgerald 33-yd FG — walk-off | 15 plays, 71 yds, 6:07 | CAR 30–27 |
Team Stats
| Stat | Dallas Cowboys | Carolina Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 292 | 410 |
| Total Plays | 53 | 64 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.5 | 6.4 |
| Passing Yards | 261 | 194 |
| Rushing Yards | 31 | 216 |
| Rush Average | 1.6 | 5.7 |
| First Downs | 15 | 27 |
| — Passing | 12 | 11 |
| — Rushing | 1 | 14 |
| — Penalty | 2 | 2 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency | 5/12 | 3/8 |
| 4th Down Efficiency | 2/2 | 1/1 |
| Red Zone (Made/Att) | 2/4 | 2/4 |
| Penalties | 6 for 37 yds | 6 for 57 yds |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of Possession | 27:58 | 32:02 |
Passing Stats
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SACKS | QBR | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dak Prescott, DAL | 25/34 | 261 | 7.7 | 3 | 0 | 0–0 | 91.7 | 124.8 |
| Bryce Young, CAR | 17/25 | 199 | 8.0 | 3 | 1 | 1–5 | 52.0 | 114.8 |
Prescott’s three-touchdown, zero-interception performance moved him past Troy Aikman into second on the Cowboys’ all-time passing yards list at 32,947 career yards. The team passing yards column in the Team Stats section reflects net yardage — Young’s 199 individual gross yards become 194 after the one sack for –5.
Rushing Stats
Dallas Cowboys
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javonte Williams | 13 | 29 | 2.2 | 0 | 6 |
| Ryan Flournoy | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jaydon Blue | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dak Prescott | 2 | –1 | –0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 19 | 31 | 1.6 | 0 | 6 |
Carolina Panthers
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | 30 | 183 | 6.1 | 0 | 15 |
| Trevor Etienne | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 11 |
| Jimmy Horn Jr. | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 |
| Bryce Young | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 0 | 8 |
| DeeJay Dallas | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 38 | 216 | 5.7 | 0 | 15 |
Carolina outrushed Dallas 216 to 31 — a 185-yard differential against the league’s 32nd-ranked run defense entering the week.
Receiving Stats
Dallas Cowboys
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Pickens | 9 | 168 | 18.7 | 1 | 45 | 11 |
| Jake Ferguson | 3 | 33 | 11.0 | 1 | 19 | 3 |
| Ryan Flournoy | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 13 | 6 |
| Jalen Tolbert | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Hunter Luepke | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Javonte Williams | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 0 | 9 | 8 |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Team | 25 | 261 | 10.4 | 3 | 45 | 34 |
Carolina Panthers
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rico Dowdle | 4 | 56 | 14.0 | 1 | 36 | 5 |
| Tommy Tremble | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| Jimmy Horn Jr. | 2 | 36 | 18.0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 2 | 19 | 5 |
| Mitchell Evans | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Xavier Legette | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| Hunter Renfrow | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Team | 17 | 199 | 11.7 | 3 | 36 | 21 |
Pickens set a new 2025 season high with 168 receiving yards on nine catches, clearing his previous best of 134. Dowdle’s 36-yard reception in the third quarter — caught alone along the left sideline — gave Carolina its first lead of the game.
Defensive Stats
Dallas Cowboys Defense
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shemar James | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenneth Murray Jr. | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donovan Wilson | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Reddy Steward | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Houston | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marist Liufau | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Sam Williams | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevon Diggs | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DaRon Bland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshawn Kneeland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Juanyeh Thomas | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alijah Clark | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Solomon Thomas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dante Fowler Jr. | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Osa Odighizuwa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jay Toia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donovan Ezeiruaku | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Parris Campbell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenny Clark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Team | 67 | 41 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Interceptions: Donovan Wilson — 1 INT, 21-yard return
Carolina Panthers Defense
| Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Rozeboom | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevin Wallace | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Jackson | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Scott | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tre’von Moehrig | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Princely Umanmielen | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A’Shawn Robinson | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Derrick Brown | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| D.J. Wonnum | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Jones II | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LaBryan Ray | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Brown III | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lathan Ransom | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeeJay Dallas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ikem Ekwonu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maema Njongmeta | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Thomas Incoom | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bam Martin-Scott | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | 55 | 39 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 |
Special Teams
Kicking
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Aubrey, DAL | 2/2 | 100% | 28 | 3/3 | 9 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald, CAR | 3/3 | 100% | 55 | 3/3 | 12 |
Fitzgerald’s field goals: 31 yards (Q1), 55 yards (end of Q2), 33 yards (Q4, walk-off at 0:00). Aubrey’s field goals: 23 yards (Q1), 28 yards (Q4).
Punting
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Anger, DAL | 3 | 143 | 47.7 | 0 | 2 | 51 |
| Sam Martin, CAR | 2 | 98 | 49.0 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
Kick Returns
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Blue, DAL | 2 | 40 | 20.0 | 25 | 0 |
| Jalen Cropper, DAL | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 21 | 0 |
| DeeJay Dallas, CAR | 1 | 28 | 28.0 | 28 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne, CAR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
Punt Returns
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Cropper, DAL | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 10 | 0 |
| Hunter Renfrow, CAR | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers and Fumbles
Interceptions
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan Wilson, DAL | 1 | 21 | 0 |
Fumbles
| Player | FUM | LOST | REC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dak Prescott, DAL | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalen Cropper, DAL | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rico Dowdle, CAR | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Xavier Legette, CAR | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Neither team lost a fumble. Carolina’s only turnover was Young’s first-half interception — a pass that deflected off Tetairoa McMillan’s hands and was returned 21 yards by Wilson.
Key Performances and Records
Rico Dowdle — RB, Carolina Panthers
- 239 yards from scrimmage (183 rushing, 56 receiving) — new Panthers single-game franchise record, surpassing Christian McCaffrey’s previous mark of 237
- 473 combined scrimmage yards across Weeks 5 and 6 — Panthers two-consecutive-game franchise record
- Seventh NFL player in 20 years to record back-to-back 200-yard scrimmage performances
- Spent five seasons with Dallas before signing with Carolina as an unrestricted free agent ahead of the 2025 season
Dak Prescott — QB, Dallas Cowboys
- 25-of-34, 261 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 124.8 passer rating
- Surpassed Troy Aikman for second place on Dallas’ all-time passing yards list, finishing the game at 32,947 career passing yards
George Pickens — WR, Dallas Cowboys
- 9 receptions, 168 yards, 1 TD on 11 targets
- New 2025 season high in receiving yards, clearing his previous best of 134
Bryce Young — QB, Carolina Panthers
- 17-of-25, 199 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 114.8 passer rating
- Went 3-of-4 for 25 yards on the game-winning final drive (15 plays, 71 yards, 6:07), including a 7-yard completion to Hunter Renfrow on fourth-and-4 to keep the drive alive
Tetairoa McMillan — WR, Carolina Panthers
- 3 receptions, 29 yards, 2 TD on 5 targets
- Both touchdowns were his first two NFL receiving TDs; McMillan was the eighth overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Arizona
Ryan Fitzgerald — K, Carolina Panthers
- 3-of-3 on field goals (31, 55, 33 yards), 3-of-3 on extra points — 12 points
- Walk-off 33-yarder as time expired was his third field goal of the afternoon
Game Officials
| Position | Official |
|---|---|
| Referee | John Hussey |
| Umpire | Duane Heydt |
| Down Judge | Max Causey |
| Line Judge | Carl Johnson |
| Field Judge | Anthony Flemming |
| Side Judge | Allen Baynes |
| Back Judge | Matt Edwards |
Prescott’s 261 yards and three touchdowns without an interception kept Dallas in the game throughout, but Carolina ran for 216 yards on 38 carries, held possession for more than 32 minutes, and converted both fourth-down attempts. Dallas had 31 rushing yards on 19 carries. For a team ranked last in the league against the run heading into the week, Dowdle’s 6.1-yards-per-carry average was the number that mattered most when Fitzgerald set the ball down with six seconds left.
