Ezekiel Elliott's performance pre-injury bodes well for productive 2022
Ezekiel Elliott failed to reach 1,000 yards in a full season for the first time in 2020. To remedy that, he spent the last offseason working with running back guru Josh Hicks on his explosiveness and being more elusive with the football. Elliott suffered a knee injury after the first month of the 2021 season […]
Ezekiel Elliott failed to reach 1,000 yards in a full season for the first time in 2020. To remedy that, he spent the last offseason working with running back guru Josh Hicks on his explosiveness and being more elusive with the football.
Elliott suffered a knee injury after the first month of the 2021 season which halted any hopes of a full bounce-back campaign. However, before his setback, Elliott showed flashes of the player that won two rushing titles in his first three seasons.
The former Ohio State Buckeye didn't do much as far as running the football (totaled 33 yards) in the Dallas Cowboys' season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as he spent the night showing off his elite pass-blocking skills. When Dallas took in the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2 though, Elliott began showing that his offseason work had paid off.
The two-time All-Pro gained 71 yards in that game on 16 carries. A week later against the Philadelphia Eagles, Elliott rushed for 95 yards on 17 attempts which were close to the 98.6 yards per game he averaged against them for his career leading up to that point. The next game against the Carolina Panthers would be the best of 2021 for Elliott.
In a game that saw Dak Prescott throw for four touchdowns, Trevon Diggs haul in two interceptions, and the Cowboys' defense racked up five sacks, Elliott displayed the burst that he was known for earlier in his career. He ran for 143 yards on 20 carries which was his highest total since November of 2019 when he gained 139 against the New York Giants. His performance was highlighted by a 47-yard run in the third quarter.
Speaking of the Giants, that's who the Cowboys took on a week later, and Elliott continued his hot start to the 2021 season. He pick up 110 yards which gave him back-to-back 100-yard performances for the first time in two seasons. After five games, Elliott's 452 yards ranked third in the NFL. However, his play declined tremendously afterward.
After running for 69 yards against the New England Patriots in Week 6, Elliott failed to run for more than 52 yards in any game until he ran for 87 yards in the season finale against the Eagles. For the last few months of the season, it was obvious that Elliott was banged up, but the extent of his injury would be revealed after the Cowboys' loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the playoffs.
Elliott suffered a torn PCL in Week 4 against the Panthers. Being the warrior that he is, Elliott kept playing through it, and even wore a brace on his knee to give it stability. While commendable, Elliott wasn't going to reach his maximum production for the season with an injury like that, especially without any rest.
The 2022 season will be the seventh in the NFL for Ezekiel Elliott. With 1,650 carries on his legs, it's unrealistic to think going forward that Elliott will be what he was in his first three seasons. However, with a full offseason of rest, and going off of what he showed before his injury in 2021, Elliott can certainly be effective in year seven.
Ezekiel Elliott is past the days of being the NFL's leading rusher. At this point in his career, it's about staying healthy and the Cowboys keeping the best offensive line they can in front of him and letting Tony Pollard prolong his time in the league by sharing the rushing load.
Feature image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
