Dallas Cowboys surprisingly lost to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Does this mean that the opposing teams have already figured out the duo composed of young Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott?
While we are waiting for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to decide on Elliott’s suspension, former Cowboys coach, Wade Phillips, who is a defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams found a solution against the Cowboys’ dynamic duo.
Ezekiel Elliott had a solid game with 85 rushing yards on 21 carries and one TD, whereas he also acted as a receiver at times, catching four passes for 54 yards and one TD. Despite Elliott’s dominance, Dallas came short against the Rams, losing one at home 35-30.
“I think we just executed early in game, got off to a good start and definitely moved the ball down the field,” Elliott said. “But they made some good adjustments and then outplayed us.” Dallas was dominant in the first half since they held the ball for 18 minutes and recorded 287 yards, but something happened, and they were a different team in the second half. On top of that, they didn’t have luck in some situations as Dallas had a fourth attempt and 10 yards to go for the first down, but Elliott caught the ball and was one-yard short.
“We always say when we come out in the second half, it’s 0-0 and it’s a new game,” Elliott said. “We need to get out to a fast start, and we just didn’t come out and execute and they did a good job of stopping us on defense.”
Meanwhile, Dallas owner Jerry Jones gave credit to Wade Phillips: “I want to give Wade Phillips his due. They came in and made adjustments.” After Elliott’s 16-yard run in the third, the Cowboys stopped and ran the ball just 13 yards on six carries.
In the meantime, the Appellate court is going to hear the NFL’s argument for a stay of a federal judge’s injunction of Elliott’s six-game suspension on Monday in New Orleans, and if the league’s suspension is reinstated, Elliott could be out until the Thanksgiving duel versus the LA Chargers on November 23.
The Cowboys’ current record is 2-2, but they have a tough schedule ahead, with Green Bay, Philadelphia, Washington and Atlanta eager to meet them.
“I’m not totally familiar with all the details on Zeke’s case, but I think our team, anytime something like that comes up and it seems like it’s been going on for some time now, as a team we have confidence in our running backs,” tight end Jason Witten said. “We certainly would miss a guy like Zeke and the way he plays the game, but our team seems to handle those things really well.”
Elliott has the right mindset and is devastated about the loss. He explained: “What I did today isn’t really important, and it’s just about if we got that team win. There’s really nothing important about the stats, and it’s a tough loss for sure.”
