The Carolina Panthers may have been prepared for Saturday’s win-and-in game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in most regards, but they did not seem to have accounted for the weather in the first quarter.
Panthers players were slipping on the wet turf at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fl. during Saturday’s game. Consistent rain throughout the afternoon created slick conditions that some Panthers players seemed unprepared for.
The most prominent victim of the wet turf was Carolina running back Rico Dowdle, who slipped and fell on a carry without ever being touched.
Rico Dowdle injured.
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 3, 2026
This was the play he got hurt on, he has since came back and is okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3Ou2uvEirI
Dowdle was not the only one. According to ESPN’s broadcast, Carolina running backs Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne both changed to longer spikes after the first drive of the day in response to the field conditions.
ESPN TV broadcast notes that both Rico Dowdle, Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne changed to longer spikes after Carolina's first drive, when Dowdle slipped and fell to the ground untouched on one play.
— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) January 3, 2026
Better late than never. The Panthers were probably relieved their running backs did not get hurt or make any serious mistakes during that drive before they finally adapted to the conditions. The Buccaneers notably seemed ready from the start, as none of their players had any obvious issues like this early in the contest.
The good news is the field issues were easily explained, unlike the Super Bowl two years ago. The rain definitely impacted the playcalling, which might be bothersome for the Buccaneers in such an important game.
