Elliott focus of game plans
Cowboys to ride rookie as Packers prepare to stop him.
FRISCO — Ez e k i e l El l i o t t didn’t let a car wreck keep him from football practice as a 7-year-old, as his mom share d a s t or y on s oc i a l media of a young Elliott grabbing his helmet and pads and running to practice after she had been T-boned.
It’s no different for the 21-year-old Elliott, who has become an NFL star with the Dallas Cowboys.
Elliott was involved in a minor fender bender early Wednesday near the Cowboys’ practice facility, but took the field with his teammates a couple hours later.
“I’m fine. I’m healthy. I’m good,” Elliott said afterward. “It’s like nothing happened. My car is messed up, that’s about it.”
Elliott had no interest in discussing his accident in detail, instead focusing on football and the Green Bay Packers coming to town for a divisional round matchup on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium.
Elliott is arguably the biggest factor going into the game. The Cowboys pride themselves on being a runfirst team behind Elliott, and the Packers are well aware of the importance of containing him.
Green Bay di dn’t do i t when i t f a c e d E l l i o t t o n Oct. 16 in a 30-16 vic tory for Dallas.
“I could go down the list of what they excel at on offense, but obviously it starts with stopping the run,” Packers linebacker Clay Matthews said. “Great running back, great offensive line, really — so, we’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Elliott gashed the Packers for 157 yards on 28 carries. Going into the game, the Packers had the top-ranked run defense while allowing only 42.8 yards a game.
But Elliott and the Cowboys had no trouble establishing the run. As a team, the Cowboys finished with 191 yards on 33 carries.
“That was when I was starting to get really rolling,” Elliott said. “We’ve just got to watch that film and see what made me so successful in that game.”
Green Bay, on the other h a n d , f e e l s muc h more confident in its abilit y to slow down Elliott this time around.
Thi s i s a team that has p l aye d b e t t e r d own t h e stretch with seven consecutive wins. It finished the season ranked eighth in rushing defense (94.7) and held the New York Giants to only 70 rushing yards in the wildcard round on Sunday.
A s n o s e t a c k l e L e t r oy Guion said, “Packers are doing good right now, so let’s go. Elliott is doing a good job, hats off to the rookie, but Pack coming to town, baby.”
Elliott acknowledged that the Packers are playing better than when the teams met earlier this season, although he and the Cowboys’ offensive line won’t be short on confidence.
The Cowboys pride themselves in being a physical team and setting a tone early in games. They love the idea of wearing a defense down by the time the fourth quarter rolls around.
“There’s nothing like going out there and playing four quarters of tough football,” Elliott said. “There’s nothing better than seeing you take your opponent’s will. I mean, that fourth quarter and start taking those big runs.”
Outside of that, Elliott also must protect the football. It’s something he has done well all season, losing only two fumbles in Week 2.