Getty Ezekiel Elliott is confused about his workload.
Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott appeared to be just as confused as fans were about his lack of touches on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys had nearly an even split in the backfield against the Raiders with Tony Pollard’s ten carries combined with Elliott’s nine rushes.
Elliott was utilized a bit more in the passing game with six receptions compared to Pollard’s four catches. When Elliott was asked about his lack of touches, the Cowboys running back admitted he was unsure about why he was not on the field more against the Raiders.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Elliott responded during his postgame press conference. “Yeah, I don’t know. I feel alright, but it probably was [related to his injury].”
Elliott was also asked about his limited snaps in the second quarter, and the running back offered no explanation.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Elliott noted.
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McCarthy on Elliott: ‘He Was Struggling a Little Bit’
After the Cowboys’ loss to the Raiders, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that he thought Elliott’s knee injury was bothering him. McCarthy noted that Elliott was “struggling a little bit” referring to his health.
“Yeah, I think Zeke, he was struggling a little bit,” McCarthy noted during his November 25 press conference. “I think that was obvious.”
McCarthy was also asked if he believed Elliott’s snaps were going to have to be managed for the rest of the season. The Cowboys coach remained noncommittal about how Elliott will be utilized moving forward.
“I couldn’t tell you that,” McCarthy responded. “So, we got a couple days, they’ll be in the weight room tomorrow [Friday] and we’ll get back. Sunday will be a Wednesday for us, so probably know more then.”
The Cowboys Plan to Give Pollard More Touches
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Elliott is expecting to deal with the knee injury for the remainder of the season. Rapoport added that the Cowboys are prepared to continue to alter his workload by giving Pollard more carries.
“This knee injury, a bone bruise in his knee, is something that is going to linger all season, unless they step in and basically take Zeke off the field,” Rapoport detailed on November 26. “It seems like it’s something that he is going to play with. He’s not going to be himself. He’s not going to be 100%, but he is going to play. That is the plan and just listening to owner Jerry Jones after the game, they’re going to alter the game plan a little bit because of Zeke’s injury.
“May have to get, as Jones mentioned, Tony Pollard 25 or so touches. May have to flip the roles a little bit, just because Zeke is not himself. We’ll see if he can get out to a point where he is healthy enough to where you don’t notice his knee, but until they have a long enough break we are simply not there yet.”