Rico Dowdle says he was fined by NFL for '2-pump' celebration that paid homage to a 'Key and Peele' skit
Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle learned the hard way that you shouldn't trust everything you see on TV. Dowdle announced Wednesday that he was fined for a celebration in Sunday's game that paid tribute to a "Key and Peele" skit.
The celebration — which occurred after the running back scored a third-quarter touchdown against the Green Bay Packers — involved Dowdle thrusting his pelvis forward twice. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for his actions.
#Panthers RB Rico Dowdle says the NFL fined him for his Key & Peele celebration during Sunday’s game vs. the Packers.
The celebration is a nod to a "Key and Peele" skit in which a football player named Hingle McCringleberry celebrates a touchdown in the exact same manner. The entire premise of the skit is that McCringleberry can get away with two pelvic thrusts — or "pumps," as the video calls them — but always gets penalized when he pumps a third time. He continues to test the boundaries of that rule during the sketch, getting flagged multiple times for thrusting three times.
Dowdle learned Sunday those same rules don't apply in the NFL.
Comedian and actor Keegan Michael Key — who wrote the sketch and played McCringleberry — had fun with the moment, posting a video saying Dowdle shouldn't have been flagged for doing two pumps.
The NFL apparently decided the flag wasn't enough. Dowdle — and his agent — implied he was fined by the NFL on Wednesday for his celebration. Dowdle said he was starting a GoFundMe after "they got me." By "they," Dowdle presumably meant the NFL. Dowdle's agent, David Canter, appeared to confirm the fine, responding to Dowdle's tweet by saying the fine would be appealed.
Dowdle wasn't joking about starting up a GoFundMe, though he's doing it for a good cause. Dowdle had some fun with the situation, initially writing, "After much thought I've launched a GoFundMe for my fines. Key said I got three pumps but I guess the NFL disagrees."
Below that, however, Dowdle announced any money donated to his GoFundMe will be given to the Children's Home Society of North Carolina. He's already raised over $14,000 toward his goal.
The 27-year-old Dowdle is in the midst of a breakout season with the Panthers. After starting the year as the No. 2 option on the depth chart, Dowdle thrust himself into a larger role after rushing for over 180 yards in two straight games. He turned in another performance of 100+ rushing yards during the team's Week 9 win over the Packers.
After spending his first four seasons in Dallas, Dowdle signed a one-year, $2.7 million deal with the Panthers in the offseason. He's on pace to obliterate his career-high of 1,079 rushing yards this season. In nine games, Dowdle has rushed for 735 yards.
2025 NFL betting, odds: Eagles' walk-off TD among the 5 worst NFL bad beats this season
We're only in Week 10 of the 2025-26 NFL season, but there have already been more bad beats for bettors than can fit in one brief article.
From blocked field goals returned for touchdowns on the final play to head-scratching coaching decisions and the Tennessee Titans — yes, the 1-8 Titans — coming back from down 18 points to capture their only win of the season, we've seen a lot so far this season.
Here are five of the worst bad beats so far, along with some honorable mentions:
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens (-1) at Buffalo Bills
The Ravens were at or around the top of just about every oddsmakers' power ratings before the season. And while the Bills were favored in every game when the schedules came out in May, Baltimore actually closed as a rare road favorite in Buffalo — the first time Josh Allen had been a home underdog in a regular season game since 2021.
Baltimore's offense looked unstoppable heading into the fourth quarter in this one, and the Ravens held a 40-25 lead, plus had the ball with 9:18 remaining after stopping Buffalo's offense. But Lamar Jackson & Co. promptly went three and out, and then allowed an 90-yard touchdown drive in three minutes. That was followed by Derrick Henry fumbling in Baltimore territory, leading to four-play, 30-yard TD drive for Buffalo in a little over a minute — but the Bills missed the two-point conversion to keep the score 40-38.
Baltimore got the ball back with 1:58 left, and proceeded to go three and out again, eschewing a fourth-and-3 at its own 38-yard line that could have won the game to punt instead. Allen led Buffalo right down the field to set up a Matt Prater game-winning 32-yard field goal.
Week 2: Jacksonville Jaguars (+3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals
The Jaguars went into the game as 3.5-point underdogs, but that was with starting Bengals QB Joe Burrow playing. Burrow got hurt early in the second quarter and didn't return — and was replaced by Jake Browning. Browning proceeded to threw not one, not two, but three interceptions in the game. Trevor Lawrence had two INTs of his own, though, and Jacksonville only led 27-24 early in the fourth quarter.
The Jaguars took over at the Bengals' 12-yard line after Browning's final interception, and decided to go for it on fourth-and-5 at the 7-yard line rather than kicking a field goal to go up six. Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a pass that could've led to a first down, Cincinnati got the ball back down three points and proceeded to go on a 15-play, 92-yard drive, capped by a 1-yard QB sneak with 18 seconds left to win by four and cover.
Week 3: Los Angeles Rams (+3.5) at Philadelphia Eagles
We won't spend too long on this one, but if you had the Rams +3.5 then you can probably recite the entire series of events leading up to this horrific bad beat.
Los Angeles completely dominated the first half, but was only up 19-7 thanks to four Joshua Karty field goals. The Rams extended that lead to 26-7 early in the third quarter, only to see the Eagles score 20 unanswered points to take a 27-26 lead with 1:48 remaining. Even if Los Angeles fans were disappointed, those backing Rams +3.5 were still in terrific shape to cover.
The Rams marched the ball right down the field, setting up a 44-yard field goal attempt with 3 seconds left ... which was promptly blocked by Jordan Davis and returned for a TD with no time remaining.
A field-goal miss and the Rams would've covered.
A field-goal make and the Rams would've won (and covered).
A blocked field goal returned anywhere except the opposing end zone — the Rams lose (but would've covered).
In a relatively even game, Indianapolis was down 13-10 in the third quarter when Mitchell caught what would've been a 76-yard TD, but inexplicably dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line, fumbling out of the end zone for a touchback.
Despite that setback, the game was tied with 3:20 left remaining and the Colts had the ball. Jonathan Taylor ripped off a would've been a 53-yard TD run, only to have it nullified by a holding penalty ... on Mitchell. The Colts ended up punting back to the Rams with under two minutes left, and Los Angeles — only needing a FG to win — hit an 88-yard TD pass from Matthew Stafford to Tutu Atwell for a 27-20 victory (and cover).
Week 5: Arizona Cardinals ML (-450) vs. Tennessee Titans
This may be the game that caused some people to permanently stop playing in survivor pools.
The Cardinals were up 21-6 in the third quarter against an 0-4 Titans team and held a win probability of 97%, according to ESPN's metrics. A quick summary of the key plays that happened next:
On third-and-12 from the Titans' 20, a bad snap went off Kyler Murray's facemask and the Titans recovered the fumble
Cardinals RB Emari Demercado broke into the open for a would-be 72-yard TD run with 12:40 remaining, only to drop the ball before the goal line for a touchback
Titans went on a six-play, 80-yard TD drive to cut it to 21-12, but miss the extra point — keeping it a two-score game
Cardinals went three and out
Titans move the ball down the field, only for rookie QB Cam Ward to throw an interception at Arizona's 6-yard line ... which is then fumbled into the end zone and recovered by Tennessee WR Tyler Lockett for a TD to make it 21-19 after the extra point.
Arizona gets a first down and then runs three straight times for 2 total yards before punting back to Tennessee
Ward drives Titans down the field to set up a game-winning 29-yard field goal from Joey Slye
Week 10 NFL against-the-spread picks, predictions for every game: Are the Ravens back?
Oddsmakers have never completely given up on the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens never sunk too far in the Super Bowl odds, even as they started 1-5. They're -145 to win the AFC North despite being two games behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. And this week is a friendly spread for the Ravens.
The 4-4 Minnesota Vikings are coming off a good win at the Detroit Lions and getting no respect at all this week. They're 4-point home underdogs against the Ravens at BetMGM. We're about to find out if oddsmakers' faith in the Ravens is justified.
Everyone knows the reasons for the Ravens' slow start. The defense was bad at the beginning of the season and then injuries hit hard. Lamar Jackson, arguably the best player in the NFL, missed games. He's back now. And the Ravens have a few extra days of rest after an easy win over the Dolphins in Week 9. Presumably, Jackson should be back to full strength this week. And he threw four touchdowns last week in his return.
Just because Jackson is back doesn't mean the Ravens are a sure thing. They dug a huge hole early in the season. The defense has looked better lately but there should still be some skepticism. And it's not easy to go on the road and beat a Vikings team that just made the Lions look bad.
This will be a test of the Ravens going forward. If they blow out the Vikings, they should be favored in every game until at least Week 16. They can get on a roll. But the Vikings are fully capable of keeping this close, and they're the pick at +4. We'll find out on Sunday if the Ravens are truly back. And if the Vikings are capable of being in the NFC North race for the duration, too.
Lamar Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens to a win over the Dolphins in his first game back from a hamstring injury. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Cooper Neill via Getty Images
Here are the picks for Week 10 of the NFL season, with odds from BetMGM:
Broncos (-9) over Raiders
Since beating the Patriots in Week 1, the Raiders have lost their three road games by 17, 34 and 31 points. It's tough to take a big favorite on a Thursday night, but the Raiders aren't an underdog that is worth backing most weeks.
Falcons (+6.5) over Colts
This is an early game in Berlin, Germany, which often makes for some strange outcomes. The Falcons aren't a bad team. Had their kicking situation been better, they might have at least two more wins. The Colts are very good and clearly the superior team, but it's a lot of points for an international game against a decent opponent.
Bills (-9.5) over Dolphins
There could be a letdown for the Bills, coming off a huge win over the Chiefs. But backing the Dolphins would be a miserable experience. It's a team that looks like it wants the season to be over already.
Saints (+5.5) over Panthers
The thought that the Saints are a feisty underdog is dissipating fast. They have failed to cover the spread in each of their last four games. In the last three, they haven't come within eight points of the spread. However, the Panthers aren't as good as their record. You won't find a metric that says otherwise. It's hard to trust the Saints, but we'll close our eyes and take the points.
Texans (+1) over Jaguars
The news that Davis Mills will start at quarterback for the Texans shifted the favorite from Houston to Jacksonville. It's understandable. But every week, we're seeing that Houston might be the best defense in the NFL. Also, the Jaguars have not been impressive for most of the season. They aren't as good as their record. C.J. Stroud being out with a concussion caused the line to move, but Mills doesn't have to be great. He just needs to do enough to support the Texans' defense.
Bears (-4.5) over Giants
The Giants might be fading. They've failed to cover in two straight games, and neither was all that close. The Bears are far from perfect but they're not getting much respect for a team that has won five of six.
Browns (-2.5) over Jets
It's hard to tell how a team will react after being sellers following the trade deadline. But it's hard to believe the Jets players will be that excited after seeing Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner get shipped off, with others like Breece Hall wondering why they are still around. It's very, very hard to rely on the Browns as a road favorite. However, even removing any nebulous Jets motivation angle: They are a 1-7 team that just traded two of its five best players.
Buccaneers (-2.5) over Patriots
This is one of the best games of Week 10. The Patriots are a very good team and have a win at the Bills, but it's OK to point out they have played by far the softest schedule in the NFL to date. If they can go on the road and beat a 6-2 Buccaneers team coming off a bye, it will be their second quality win of the season.
Seahawks (-6.5) over Cardinals
The Cardinals are a better team in the present with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. That's the uncomfortable truth for the Cardinals. But going on the road to face this Seahawks team is a tough task for anyone. We're seeing, week by week, that the Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL.
49ers (+4.5) over Rams
The last time these teams played, the 49ers overcame a multitude of injuries to win. They've taken on more injuries since then. But San Francisco has been overcoming its injury adversity all season, and can keep this home game close.
Lions (-8) over Commanders
The Commanders are coming off a game in which they lost quarterback Jayden Daniels, their defense was completely exposed and any realistic hope of making the playoffs was dashed. Last week the Lions suffered a home loss and will be motivated to bounce right back. This could get ugly.
Steelers (+3) over Chargers
The Chargers have been a different team without left tackle Joe Alt, who is done for the season. Alt is very good, and the Chargers don't have enough quality tackles to replace him and Rashawn Slater, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in training camp. Here's a simple way to see Alt's value:
Chargers' record when Alt played more than half of the snaps: 4-0 straight up, 3-0-1 against the spread
Chargers' record when Alt played fewer than half of the snaps: 2-3 straight up, 0-5 against the spread
Now the Chargers get a Steelers defense that looked as good as it has all season, with the pass rush finally coming alive. The Steelers are a flawed team but this seems like a tough assignment for the Chargers.
Eagles (+2.5) over Packers
The wrong team is favored here. The Packers maybe are just a team that plays up or down to the competition, but they also might simply not be as good as they looked in the first two games of the season. The Eagles haven't been as great as last season, but the reaction to their start this season is a bit overblown. The Eagles still might be the best team in football and for this game, they're coming off a bye.