Jerry Jones gives brief explanation for Ezekiel Elliott’s benching on SNF

The Dallas Cowboys thoroughly demolished the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football — at least, that’s what it looked like if you only watched the fourth quarter.

Those 15 minutes included more Colts turnovers than a Cracker Barrel on Thanksgiving, as the Cowboys secondary swarmed and the offense ate to the tune of a 33-0 margin. Prior to the fourth, though, the effort was a little more varied, as the opportunistic Indianapolis defense and surprising offense somehow kept this a two-point game through three.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott’s early absence created additional question marks, too, especially as the Cowboys struggled to get off the ground initially.

Elliott eventually breezed through the fourth quarter, racking up a touchdown on 17 carries with a long rush of 22 yards. Ultimately, he ended up with more touches than Tony Pollard on the ground (17 to 12), but his impact came later in the contest.

Some of that was likely game-planning, but according to Jerry Jones, something was going on behind the scenes, too. Elliott as punished on the opening drive for disciplinary reasons.

Cowboys’ Jerry Jones says Ezekiel Elliott was benched for discipline on SNF

If the discipline was related to hopping in the Salvation Army kettle after being repeatedly told not to, Elliott defied those orders again in the fourth quarter, when Dak Prescott cranked him out of the pot after his late touchdown. The snake charmer bit was inspired brilliance, making it feel even sillier that Elliott had been disciplined for … something only a few hours prior.

According to Jerry (per Clarence Hill Jr.), the discipline sounds fairly silly, but the ball landed in Mike McCarthy’s court and he acted:

"“Yeah, think there was a little issue he had with his coach and some discipline issues,” explained Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones (via Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). ”Being tardy for a meeting or a phone going off or something serious, relative to Zeke, but I won’t get into that, but I’m not giving out that punishment. I’d be a lot more lenient than that."

Maybe the bell cow back should be disciplined more often? The way his and Pollard’s touches were balanced on Sunday led to a perfect blend, and kept Zeke fresh for the feeding in the fourth quarter, when the broadcast team of Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico noted it looked like he was floating on air.

Elliott found an extra gear late in Sunday night’s contest, and the Cowboys might’ve stumbled into the perfect Elliott/Pollard snap count split thanks to some lingering disciplinary issues. Win-Blowout Win, it seems like.