GREEN BAY, Wis.— It didn't take long for Rico Dowdle to realize he and the Carolina Panthers were going to be able to do what they wanted on Sunday. He could tell from his first rush.

"I think early on I think my first run, it was like a duo. I went for like (9) yards," Dowdle said after the Panthers' 16-13 win over the top team in the NFC, of when he knew he'd have success.

The Panthers took the ball first against the Packers. The aggressive call was made due to the wind whipping in Lambeau Field, and they hoped the wind would be at their back in the fourth quarter. It was. But it also meant the Panthers had a chance to set a tone early in the game.

After an early flag and a short gain on screen garnered 1 yard, the Panthers were facing second-and-14 from their own 23-yard line. Bryce Young handed off to Dowdle, and he ran with ease up the middle for the 9-yard gain.

"It's usually the same situation where you get that first one and the feeling, and like I said, it just comes with trust and confidence," Dowdle continued, giving props to the offensive line. "Those guys, we'll be able to do it any time with the guys we have up front, guys stepping in, making plays, so just got to have the confidence and trust them."

A couple of flags resulted in the Panthers eventually punting on that first drive. Still, an identity had been established against the defense that entered Sunday as the third-best rushing defense in the NFL. That was a ranking that didn't factor much into the Panthers' minds this week, though. They only considered what they saw on tape and what they knew they could do as an offense on the ground.

"Those guys up front, they've been doing a great job all season," said Dowdle. "Just allow me to get to the second level and executing their blocks at a high level.

"And we can do it against anybody. I don't really, I never really look at numbers like they're the top run defense. It's just, each week is its own. We take each week as its own.

"Looking at the film, I knew we'd have a chance to have a good one."

Because of the infamous wind bouncing around Lambeau, the Panthers knew they might find better success on the ground regardless Sunday. But there was also the fact that Dowdle has been averaging 5.7 yards per carry through the first eight weeks of the season. He continued that on Sunday, picking up 5.2 yards a pop.

"It was from carry one, you know, it was attitude, it was aggression and violence at the end of it," said Panthers head coach Dave Canales of Dowdle's run style on Sunday.

No run was more violent or perhaps more crucial than the 19-yard pickup Dowdle had on the last drive of the game. Facing second-and-10 from midfield with only 46 seconds to play in a tie game, Carolina needed a chunk of yardage to get into field-goal range.

Young and Dowdle perfectly executed what they referred to as a "dummy cadence" to fool the defense into thinking they had checked into a pass. In reality, it was a handoff to one of the league's top rushers. Dowdle broke through for the huge rush, and from there, it was about spotting the ball for Fitzgerald's walk-off field goal.

"They float left and I just kept—the front side opened up," Dowdle smiled.

"Things like that definitely make a huge difference because you never know what the defense is thinking, so they definitely got to adjust."

Dowdle took the lion's share of the snaps on Sunday, running 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He also had two catches for 11 yards. He now has four rushing touchdowns on the season, giving him more through nine games than he has had in a single season in his five-year career.

"Oh yeah, for sure, I definitely think I'm playing my best," admitted Dowdle. "All the numbers speak for it, so I definitely think I'm playing my best ball.

"But like I said, I got to give credit to those guys up front. They allow me to do it; we've got to keep continuing to build off of it."

There was also a penalty after the second rushing touchdown that pushed the point-after attempt to 48 yards. With the wind in Ryan Fitzgerald's face, the kick landed short, resulting in the eventual need to kick a game-winner anyway, instead of running out the clock with a one-point lead.

"We got to do better in those situations," said Canales. "Especially in a tight game like this, you know, we put ourselves in a hard spot."

Added Dowdle, "I know I just wanted to make up for it, so I knew I had to come out there and keep putting my best foot forward because I didn't want that to end up biting us."

The Panthers still leaned on the veteran Chuba Hubbard, both on kickoff returns, pass-protecting, and in the red zone at times. But with Dowdle playing his best ball, it's an attitude Canales and the Panthers want to lean on as much as possible.

"It really does affect the group," said Canales. "It affects the whole sideline when they see that kind of energy, and that kind of violence, it gives them confidence, and it's who we want to be, and so, just really loved what he was able to do with that."