Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for six games by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy over the physical confrontations allegations made by his ex-girlfriend. The good news is that Dallas made it half-way through. The bad news – they are 0-3 with Elliott out.
The last loss was also tough, and it came against the Los Angeles Chargers who defeated Cowboys 28-6. This means that the team from Texas is now 5-6 in the season, which puts them in the difficult position even for a wild-card battle. The Philadelphia Eagles lead the division with 9-1.
There are still three games left until Elliott returns, but all three games the Cowboys played without Elliott weren’t even close. They are the 10th-best team in the NFC, whereas the Falcons hold that sixth spot that would grant them a playoff appearance. Without Elliott, the Cowboys scored only 22 points in three games, which is an awful result while with Zeke in the backfield, America’s team averaged 28.25 points per match.
Another player that was evidently lacking was left tackle Tyron Smith, who was out due to injury and no-one noticed his absence better than Dak Prescott. In the game against Atlanta, the Cowboys QB got sacked eight times, which was hardly his fault. However, Smith returned to the team against LA, but Dallas scored just 6 points in the match, all of which came in the fourth quarter.
Eventually, Rod Smith scored the touchdown, but the last time Dallas reached the end zone before this one was in the first quarter against the Falcons in Week 10. Prescott also threw two interceptions versus the Chargers one of which turned out to be a 90-yard return by Desmond King. It is clear after three games that Prescott struggles the most without Elliott. During this period, Dak had five interceptions while he also lost the ball three times.
Meanwhile, Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner was asked whether a coach replacement is something he is considering and he said: “Absolutely not.”
