The Dallas Cowboys or Ezekiel Elliott: Who will blink first?

Team Example

When Emmitt Smith held out, the Cowboys were coming off a Super Bowl win and were the prohibited favorites to do it again. They had a very talented team but did not have a running back that could perform at Smith’s level.

The 0-2 start that year was compounded by the fact the New York Giants started the season 2-0 and the Cowboys were running the risk of losing too much ground in the division and jeopardizing the all-important home-field advantage. The San Francisco 49ers along with the Giants were real threats if a team had to travel there for the NFC Championship game.

Fast forward to 2019, and although the Cowboys aren’t coming off a Super Bowl win, there are great expectations for this young team to take the next step.

The difference between a deep playoff run and an early exit could be having home-field advantage in the playoffs. With so many good teams in the NFC, if Elliott decides to hold out regular-season games, it could be very harmful to the Cowboys’ chances.

This is a situation that has personal implications for Ezekiel Elliott as well as for the Dallas Cowboys organization. In my next article, I’ll go into the talent the Cowboys have on the roster behind Elliott and whether they can perform at the level necessary to produce wins.