Getty Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
Dallas Cowboys fans were highly opinionated about Ezekiel Elliott amid Sunday night’s 20-16 win over the Vikings.
The team’s $90 million running back could not get much going in Minnesota, finishing with 50 rushing yards on 16 carries (3.1 yards per carry) while adding four receptions for 23 yards, hamstrung by the absence of franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.
Elliott’s performance, particularly on the ground, became a hot-bed of discussion — so talked-about that it began trending on Twitter. And … well, the feedback wasn’t very flattering.
“I don’t know who needs to hear this but Tony Pollard is better than Ezekiel Elliott,” tweeted @ZekePorta.
“Pretty safe to say that Todd Gurley, Zeke Elliott and Christian McCaffrey ruined big money contracts for RBs going forward?” tweeted @FeltFootball.
“Remember when Zeke used to run all over everyone smh,” tweeted @BrianHWaters.
“@EzekielElliott wow a whole lot of nothing. Overpaid decoy,” tweeted @CaseyKashem.
“Zeke just ain’t what he used to be,” tweeted @twisteddtee.
“Zeke Elliott is trash!! #DALvsMIN,” tweeted @Hoosiersfan_9.
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On The Other Hand …
Zeke experienced the full gamut of social media commentary Sunday night. The goat morphed into the hero late in the fourth quarter, after Elliott made a 15-yard catch on 3rd-and-long that kept Dallas’ drive alive and set up the eventual game-winning touchdown pass from QB Cooper Rush to wide receiver Amari Cooper.
“What an effort from Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott through contact to convert third-and-11. Been little room for backs in running game, but he made impact when chance came,” tweeted Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
“The only thing cooler than that effort by Ezekiel Elliott was that the stadium ERUPTED, because there are a boatload of Cowboy fans in here,” tweeted David Helman of the official Cowboys website.
“Ezekiel Elliott, earn that money, sir. Incredible effort,” tweeted Saad Yousuf of 96.7 The Ticket.
“I criticized Ezekiel Elliott a lot last year but his performance so far this year and clutch catch-and-run to set up the game-winning touchdown is incredible,” tweeted @ozairh18.
“Play of the Game! Never lost faith or listened to all that noise. I always believe in @EzekielElliott we trust keep feeding him!” tweeted @D_ROOK89.
Zeke did that 💪 #DallasCowboys
📺: #DALvsMIN on NBC
📱: t.co/vo1pze9aC5
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Zeke Rewrites Franchise Record Book
Elliott logged a nondescript two-yard run in the second quarter of Sunday’s victory. Except it wasn’t nondescript. It put him over 9,000 scrimmage yards for his career — the first player in Cowboys history (fifth player in NFL history) to achieve that feat across his first 78 games.
In related news, Rush and Cooper set a new league record where, as NFL Research dug up, “the passer’s first name and receiver’s last name are an exact match.” Rush completed 24-of-40 balls for 325 yards, two TDs, and one interception in his professional starting debut.
“I was glad everybody got to see that because that’s Cooper Rush. He plays the quarterback position like a seasoned veteran,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game, via the Dallas Morning News.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL