Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has not been asked to sit vs. Saints, hopes to manage bruised knee
Though there have been reports the Dallas Cowboys were considering resting him due to a bruised right knee, Ezekiel Elliott plans on playing on Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints.
As long as he can be out on the field, he said, he’ll be there.
"No one has come to me and asked me to rest," Elliott said Sunday, via the Cowboys. "If they bring it up to me, I've just got to go with what they think is best for the team, and leave it at that."
Elliott suffered knee bruise in Week 4
Elliott said on Sunday that he first suffered his knee bruise in the Cowboys' Week 4 win against the Carolina Panthers, and that he’s been trying to play through it ever since.
The 26-year-old ran for a season-high 143 yards against the Panthers on Oct. 3, but has been in a steady decline since. In Thursday's overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Elliott ran for just 25 yards on nine carries. He had only 32 rushing yards the week before in Dallas' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, too.
According to ESPN, Elliott has played in less than 59% of offensive snaps in Dallas' past four games, compared to 84% in the first seven games of the year.
"It's that time of year," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said, via ESPN. "Zeke's running style is ferocious. He gives a pounding and he takes some hits. We need to evaluate that and this week we'll see what the preparation looks like for him."
The Cowboys head into Thursday’s game in New Orleans having lost three of their past four — with their lone win coming against the Atlanta Falcons.
Whether Elliott takes the field — landing on injured reserve reportedly has not been a consideration with managing his knee — he knows how important a win next week really is.
“We have to fine-tune everything," Elliott said, via the Cowboys. "We've got to get this thing back rolling. The last month hasn't been that good for us. It'll be good for this team to go into New Orleans, a hostile environment and get a win."
