FRISCO, Texas – In Saturday’s divisional round of playoffs, The Cowboys and Rams go head-to-head in this ‘winner take all’ NFC battle. The Cowboys’ bread and butter on the offensive side of the ball is their ground attack. Ezekiel Elliott won the 2018 rushing title with 1,434 rushing yards. He amassed 304 carries with a 4.7 average per carry, and six touchdowns this season. Elliott concluded the 2018 season with 2,001 scrimmage yards in 15 games- second in the NFL- to become the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,900 scrimmage yards in two of his first three seasons.
His explosiveness comes from being a complete back. Elliott is an incredible blocker, rusher, and receiver. He has patience at the line of scrimmage to wait for the offensive line to open holes, and he capitalizes with vision, force, and speed to gain yardage and move the chains for the Cowboys’ offense. He has been a bigger part of the passing game this year being targeted on passes as well as taking handoffs. In 2018 he has recorded 77 receptions for 567 receiving yards, when he had 26 receptions for 269 yards in 2017, and 32 receptions for 363 in 2016.
Jason Garrett has stressed that Zeke has “carried the burden for this offense” this season. He also recalled the story when they got Zeke from Ohio State, his coaching staff there remarked, “ He is as great of a running back as we have ever had when the ball is not in his hands. “
He is the complete package. He is a versatile and consistent player that Dak can target in critical situations. Zeke is a guy that opposing defenses have to plan around, and the Rams will be prepping for him all week. They know the fullest extent of the threat a complete running back poses- they have their own in Todd Gurley, and L.A. sees his effect on defenses, week in and week out. The Rams’ offense is ranked No.1 in the NFL in first downs per game (401), and they have the most possessions (80) and points (396) in the red zone. The Cowboys have to start fast, control the clock, and open up the running game to march the team down the field and into a favorable field position to score.
Cole Beasley and Blake Jarwin have both been players who made a big impact on third downs and in the red zone the past couple of games, when Amari Cooper was being double teamed/contained with a cover two defensive scheme. Beasley and Jarwin are both questionable for Saturday with ankle injuries and practiced in a limited basis today at the Star. Zeke will no doubt be the go-to-guy on Saturday and for obvious reasons.
The difficult task will be establishing the run against Sean McVay’s diverse coaching style and five-time pro bowl elite pass rushers, Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. Donald is a beast off the edge and leads the league in sacks with 20.5. Suh is one of the best nose tackles in the league with his ability to clog up holes at the line of scrimmage and win the battle at the line of scrimmage to get to quarterbacks. Prescott has proven his ability under pressure on the run in the past couple of weeks with game winning drives. When Dak is forced out of the pocket, he extends plays and is dangerous with his feet. Design runs, play-action, and spur of the moment rushes outside the pocket based off intuition-are his specialty. Execution is the key for the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.
