It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys‘ offense can be a great one if everything clicks on all cylinders. Even though they will more than likely be known for a high-octane passing attack this season, the Cowboys need to truly understand something about running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Ezekiel Elliott struggled to make a move
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore did draw up a good game plan that on paper should have worked but in the heat of the moment, needed to be adjusted. When you have a running back like Elliott, a player that in three out of six seasons so far in his career rushed for over 1,000 yards including two seasons with double-digit touchdown numbers, you need to feed him the football.
Yes, it’s understood that the Cowboys had some injuries and issues on their offensive line, but why not establish the run with Elliott? Why not give him more than just 11 attempts to see if the Cowboys can establish the ground game to then open up their passing attack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The Dallas Cowboys need to feature more of Ezekiel Elliott on offense
In the grand scheme of things, the Cowboys can’t afford to have quarterback Dak Prescott throw 58 times in a football game each and every time. It’s going to happen here and there, of course, depending on the matchup, but having Elliott only get 11 rushing attempts for only 33 yards in a season-opening football game is unheard of. After the first half, Elliott was pretty much forgotten as a rushing threat and besides doing a great job in pass protection, was phased out entirely on offense.
Elliott is a versatile dual-threat kind of running back and if given the opportunity, can easily be a huge difference-maker on offense. We’ve seen it before back in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Elliott is no stranger at also being a high-quality receiving option and can keep those chains moving anytime he’s able to be a receiving threat.
One can only imagine what could have happened in Week 1 if Moore simply gave another 20 or so plays designed for Elliott as either a rushing or receiving threat to do what he does best. It was impressive to see the Cowboys give it all they got against the Buccaneers in a very winnable game but at the end of the day, the odds were stacked against them because Elliott wasn’t as much of a rushing or receiving factor as he could have been.
The Bucs defense was one of the best
It’s true that the Buccaneer’s run defense is among one of if not the best in the NFL but you can’t get too one-dimensional on offense. A lot of the players were amped up beyond belief and if the Cowboys were at least able to take some more shots by running the football with Elliott, that could have easily helped edge a win in a very close game of football.
Hopefully, as the season progresses, the Cowboys’ offense steps it up with having a better commitment to their ground game with Elliott leading the cause. They have one of the top running backs the NFL has to offer ready to dominate the gridiron and he’s anxious to start eating again. They need to put Elliott in a better position to thrive and just 11 rushing attempts in a football game just isn’t going to cut it in any way, shape, or form.
