Rico Dowdle injury: RB carted off after Aaron Rodgers gets crushed

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle left the field on a cart during NFL Week 2 against the New England Patriots .

Dowdle was hurt trying to pick up a fumble after Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got absolutely crushed by two New England defenders. In the mad scramble that followed, Dowdle appeared to have a defender roll over his leg. As he got up and tried to run with the ball, one of his teammates ran him over.

The good news for the Steelers is that Rodgers stayed in the game and Dowdle was in the front seat of the cart when he was taken off the field. Dowdle had four carries for 11 yards and one catch for nine yards during the first half.

The running back is questionable to return with a toe injury , per ESPN's Brookie Pryor.

🚨 Rico Dowdle injury update: Rico got caught in the scramble after the hard hit on Aaron Rodgers and is heading to the locker room early. Hard to determine the exact mechanism from the pileup. We'll need more information on where he took contact and what he's dealing with… pic.twitter.com/cG2FM61WjO — Maddox McCloud, PT, DPT (@MaddoxMcCloudPT) September 20, 2026

🚨 Rico Dowdle injury update: Rico got caught in the scramble after the hard hit on Aaron Rodgers and is heading to the locker room early. Hard to determine the exact mechanism from the pileup. We'll need more information on where he took contact and what he's dealing with… pic.twitter.com/cG2FM61WjO

Maddox McCloud, PT, DPT (@MaddoxMcCloudPT) September 20, 2026

Rico Dowdle being carted off #Steelers pic.twitter.com/TY4A3Yugpf — Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 20, 2026

Rico Dowdle being carted off #Steelers pic.twitter.com/TY4A3Yugpf

Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 20, 2026

Dowdle ran for 1,076 yards for the Carolina Panthers last season and 1,079 yards in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys . He signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract with the Steelers during the offseason.

Last week, in his first game with the Steelers, Dowdle had eight carries for 15 yards. He also had two catches for six yards in what was an unimpressive offensive output for Pittsburgh in the first game of the Mike McCarthy era. Things weren't much better for the Steelers in Week 2. They were held to 126 yards and three points at the half.