The Dallas Cowboys are riding high at 6-2. That record is good enough for second in the NFC East and third overall in the conference. Behind a stellar defense and running game led by backup Tony Pollard, the Cowboys avoided any letdown against an inferior opponent this past Sunday. Pollard showed why many have been clamoring for the former Memphis Tigers star to get more touches. His 131 yards rushing and three touchdowns came in a variety of ways, as Pollard displayed the home run ability with his great speed, quickness, elusiveness and power.
Tony Pollard: 9.4 yards per carry in Week 8
Most among all rushers 👀 pic.twitter.com/LmUgFPJECN
— PFF (@PFF) October 31, 2022
While Pollard’s performance was great in place of starter Zeke Elliott, owner Jerry Jones was quick to end any speculation that a running back controversy was on the horizon. In his postgame presser Jones told reporters the following.
“There’s no argument. Zeke’s ability to punish, Zeke’s ability to deliver, Zeke’s ability, what he does for us in pass protection, and frankly, Zeke’s ability to make big plays are there, and we’re going to go where Zeke goes. He’s that integral to our success.”
Jerry Jones: “We go as Zeke goes.” pic.twitter.com/8CfiB4ZoD3
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 30, 2022
That and Zeke’s six-year/$90 million contract are definitely enough reasons to keep him entrenched as the starter, even if Pollard has looked much better consistently.
Zeke And Pollard Are A Great 1-2 Punch
Keeping Zeke as the starter is the right thing to do, and it’s because of the other things he does, like pass protection. Zeke and Pollard complement each other and are an elite duo, along with the Browns duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and the Packers duo of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.
Fire & Ice
Elliott brings the physicality and Pollard the speed and elusiveness, plus there’s no way Jones would ever admit that Pollard is capable of being the team’s every-down back because it’d make Zeke’s contract look even worse.
Tony Pollard has the following rushing stats compared to Ezekiel Elliott in 2022
More yards by 63
More yards after contact by 103
More touchdowns by 1
More avoided tackles by 7
More runs of 10+ yards by 5
Fewer carries by 28— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 31, 2022
Cowboys Need To Lean On Both Even With Dak Back
While Dak was injured, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore discovered a new way to win games with backup Cooper Rush. A strong running game and short, quick passes led Dallas to a 4-1 record with Rush at the helm while Prescott was on the mend. There’s no need to get away from that style of football even with Dak back in the fold.
Yes, Dak is more than capable of handling a bigger workload than Rush, but you know the old adage, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Let’s see if Mike McCarthy and Jerry Jones adhere to that going forward.
