ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 2: Tony Pollard #20 and Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys hug before a game against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium on October 2, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys defeated the Commanders 25-10. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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The two-headed backfield for the Dallas Cowboys is flourishing. And running back Ezekiel Elliott has bought in to a new offensive philosophy.
Ezekiel Elliott has been the main ball-carrier for the Dallas Cowboys since entering the NFL in 2016. And he leads Mike McCarthy’s club in rushing attempts this season.
But the defending NFC East champions’ leading runner this season in terms of yards is four-year pro Tony Pollard. And Ezekiel Elliott appears to be pretty content with that.
“I truly believe our team is better off when (Tony Pollard) is getting his touches,” explained Elliott to NBC Sports (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “He’s so explosive…Last year, I had to really come around to it and it definitely was a little hard at first but at the end of the day what’s important is the team.”
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott had to adjust to Tony Pollard taking his touches
Pollard has already had a career year. A dozen games into 2022, he’s already established personal highs in attempts (148), rushing yards (852), yards from scrimmage (1,111) and total touchdowns (10). The yards on the ground and total TDs lead the Cowboys this season. And those 10 trips to the end zone equals the touchdown total of his first three NFL seasons combined.
McCarthy’s team has totaled 37 offensive touchdowns in 12 contests, almost equally divided between rushing (19) and passing (18). Pollard has two of those latter scores thanks to 25 catches for 259 yards – a solid 10.4 yards per reception.
The bottom line is that the Cowboys are on a roll. Left tackle Tyron Smith has not played this season and the team has a Top 10 running game averaging a brisk 145.9 yards per game in 12 outings. Combine that with a big-play defense and McCarthy’s club has all the makings of a championship contender.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go when talking the postseason. But Dallas is now on quite a run. Pun intended.
