Elliott shows old form in blowout
The Dallas Cowboys have yet to play a game without Ezekiel Elliott this season, though the secondyear running back has been in a constant state of legal limbo as his six-game suspension from the NFL has been on-and-off hold for more than two months.
But it wasn’t until a 40-10 thrashing of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon that the Cowboys saw the version of Elliott they had in 2016, when he led the NFL in rushing as a rookie. Elliott’s 219-yard, threetouchdown performance against the 49ers came five days after his reinstated suspension was delayed again, this time by preliminary injunction granted by a federal court in New York.
“He was driven. He had an air about him before the ballgame,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “He really appeared to have a certain mind-set, a peace of mind, and I thought that reflected right before the ballgame. It really was not surprising, now that I look back on it with the benefit of seeing him have that kind of ballgame, I think he was in as good a frame of mind as he’s been in all year.”
And it was exactly the type of performance that ought to remind the Cowboys just how much is at stake for them in this clash between Elliott and the NFL over the suspension Commissioner Roger Goodell levied in August after a year-long investigation into allegations of domestic violence from the running back’s former girlfriend.
Both his 147 rushing yards and 72 receiving yards — all on one highlight-reel worthy catch and run — marked season highs, and his three scores matched his previous total for the season.
“The entire game he played with this downhill approach. He had great energy, he was hitting the holes, he was trusting it, he was explosive when he got there,” tight end Jason Witten said. “He’s a young player and he’s dealing with a lot of stuff and it’s ongoing. I’m 35 and in my 15th year, and if I was in that situation, regardless of what you want to say, how mentally tough you are and strong, it wears on you. I’m just so proud of him and really the support system he has around him, just completely being a pro, coming in, not allowing those distractions to get in the way of his job.”
Last week, Elliott told reporters he was seeking the chance to clear his name. He said he thinks he’ll be on the field for the next game Sunday against the Washington Redskins.
His next court hearing in his case against the NFL is scheduled for Oct. 30, though the NFL on Friday filed a request to move the hearing up to Oct. 27.
Elliott’s big day and Dallas’ dominating outing followed an anticipated national anthem, given the teams’ disparate positions on player protests.
It was the Cowboys’ first game since Jones’ comments two weeks ago in which he threatened to bench any player who did “anything that is disrespectful to the flag.” Defensive lineman David Irving raised his right fist as the anthem concluded, much like he did at the Cowboys game two weeks ago. All Dallas players stood.
Led by safety Eric Reid, six active 49ers players and two inactive players kneeled during the anthem.