Ezekiel Elliott has put together a tremendous rookie campaign for the Dallas Cowboys but remains 178 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s rookie record.
Given the fact that Elliott was shut down in the fourth quarter on Monday night and that the ‘Boys have just one more game left to play — a meaningless one at that — it seems unlikely he’ll approach that all-time mark.
But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a notorious optimist, still thinks his sensational rookie could potentially break the record.
“I thought when he broke that long run, we were possibly in for a longer night with him,” owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday in his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan (h/t USA Today Sports). “I thought McFadden coming in – he had some juice to those fresh legs, so we’ll probably be pretty reasonable with how we approach that thing.
“We’ll see how it goes. He certainly will play and will play a lot, but you can never tell. He might find a good running situation up there and he may approach that record.”
That Elliott could “approach that record” isn’t completely out of the question. But the odds are certainly against him. The Eagles don’t feature one of the league’s powerhouse run defenses but did hold Elliott under the century mark earlier this year. He ended up finishing with 96 yards on 22 carries and failed to break off a run any longer than 16 yards.
It’s optimistic to think he’ll go for 100 yards Sunday in Philly, let along 178. Records are great, but team accomplishments are what matter most. Quite honestly, we’d be surprised if Elliott ends up playing much more than one half in the upcoming game, meaning the record will almost certainly stand.