2 Cowboys stars who need to bounce back in Divisional Round vs 49ers
By Jerry Trotta
1. Ezekiel Elliott, RB
Man, is a Ezekiel Elliott on a downward trajectory, or what?
It’s become abundantly clear to everyone that Tony Pollard is the more explosive back, but Pollard might flat-out be the better back at this point. On Monday night, the Buccaneers had zero problem containing Elliott, who finished the game with 27 yards on 13 carries. That’s 2.08 yards per attempt, folks.
Elliott looked a step slow bouncing outside, and didn’t hit the trenches with the same burst we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. He didn’t make anyone miss in the open field, and seemingly only sheds tackles these days when he lowers his shoulder and embraces contact by carrying defenders a extra few yards.
After averaging 4.12 yards per carry from Weeks 1-12, Elliott managed a lowly 3.29 yards per attempt in the final six games. Including the playoffs, he’s topped 70 yards once in that span, and has now gone three straight games without averaging more than 2.1 yards per carry. The standards have indeed plummeted.
A conversation about Elliott’s future will be had in the offseason, but he can still be a catalyst for the Cowboys in the playoffs. If Elliott can turn back the clock and deliver a vintage performance Sunday night, Dallas will be in good shape. That is, if he’s given enough of a workload to make an impact.
After the Wild Card round, this might be Pollard’s backfield.
