Ezekiel Elliott looks to snap out of funk versus familiar foe

Dallas Cowboys look for Ezekiel Elliott to be himself against his most favorable matchup

Dallas Cowboys Running Back Ezekiel Elliott has his best numbers against the Washington Football Team throughout his career. America’s Team has looked to pound it down the throat of Washington’s defense in the past and that strategy should not change for this Sunday. The team and Elliott are in desperate need of a reset.

Elliott has not been himself this season and has had a fumbling problem that is catching a lot of attention around the NFL. His five fumbles through six games are worrisome but assumed to end eventually. The most worrisome statistic is his lack of touches due to the usual amount of points the Cowboys have found themselves down this season.

Elliott is averaging around 14 rushing attempts per game for the last four weeks. He has consistently been above the 20 attempts per game mark for his whole career. When things are going well that amount has even approached 30 per game. So, for it to be at 14 per game is terrifying for Cowboys fans.

It is hard to get momentum with such sporadic touches and is resulting in Elliott only averaging 68.8 rushing yards a game this season. Easily the lowest mark of his career. His six-game streak of being held under 100 rushing yards is the longest of his career by one game now. Between the fumbles, lack of touches, and fewer yards, this is rock bottom for Elliott.

Elliott faces Washington for the eighth time in his career.

It is no mystery that America’s Team is excited to face Washington this week, they are 7-1 against them since 2016 and most games haven’t been close. The average margin of victory over Washington was 20.5 points last season. Elliott has seven career games against Washington and has 717 rushing yards in those games.

That is the most rushing yards Elliott has against any team in his career. Going for triple digits in four of his last five games. So, if a turn around to his 2020 season is going to happen against any team, it is most likely going to happen this week. The Cowboys are wanting this Week 7 game to be the turning point of this season.

It starts with the mindset of the offense for Dallas. Get the ball to Elliott early and try to get an early lead. The more weight off the passing game and defense the more likely things will go in the Cowboys favor. Easier said than done, the general theme of 2020.