Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott slams criticism over Week 1 struggles

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Things did not go as planned for Ezekiel Elliott in the Dallas Cowboys’ season opener loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

Elliott, the two-time NFL running champion, who has arguably become one of the league’s best running backs in recent years, ran just 33 yards on 11 carries in his 31-29 loss.

Still, Elliott isn’t here to criticize his game.

Those who criticize him for his performance, he said on Wednesday, clearly don’t understand how football works.

If you know football, then you can tell someone had a solid game without having the best stats, Elliott said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegrams Clarence Hill. I think if you say that maybe they should study a little more.

McCarthy: Elliott definitely agrees with offensive plan

It wasn’t just Elliott who struggled on the court last week in Tampa.

The Cowboys, running back Tony Pollard, had just 14 rushing yards in the game, while Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones totaled just 46 rushing yards for the Buccaneers.

Instead, the game was an air battle between Dak Prescott and Tom Brady.

Prescott, in his first comeback after a horrific leg injury last season, threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns with one interception on 58 attempted passes. Brady threw for 379 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions and set the Buccaneers up for a winning field goal in the dying seconds after an 11-play, 57-yard run that lasted less than 90 seconds.

With a fleeting battle going on all night, it’s easy to see why Elliott wasn’t the Cowboys’ offensive goal. He was busy protecting Prescott.

Each piece gives me a job, he said, via the Star-Telegram. It’s my job to do this job to the best of your ability. I’m very proud to be complete, to do a lot of things and I think he’s great or a running back to keep the quarterback safe, to keep him intact.

The story continues

Elliott was also not frustrated with the Cowboys offense on Thursday.

What if he were to fill that role again on Sunday when the Cowboys face the Chargers in Los Angeles, where they opened as an underdog +3 on BetMGM Dallas Coach Mike McCarthy is confident Elliott can handle this with ease. .

He really doesn’t [expressed any frustration]McCarthy said of Elliott, via the Star-Telegram. I know I say this all the time. It’s the same guy every day. He was in quarterback meetings earlier. It’s all football. He understands exactly the why of what he was doing. He’s definitely on board.

Ezekiel Elliott had just 33 rushing yards in his loss to the Buccaneers last week. (Cliff Welch / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

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