Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t be playing on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, barring a legal Hail Mary, after the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied his request to continue his stay of six-game suspension.

Elliott will seek an expedited appeal, meaning this legal case isn’t finished. But as Yahoo’s Charles Robinson reported, it’s almost certainly not going to happen before Sunday’s game.

Lawyer Daniel Wallach said on Twitter that oral arguments for the next step in the case are scheduled for Dec. 1. The Cowboys will play four games before Dec. 1.

The Elliott saga has gone through numerous twists and turns. Last week, Elliott’s temporary restraining order was dissolved and his motion for a preliminary injunction was denied by a federal judge. But later in the week, Elliott was granted an administrative stay so a three-judge panel could review his appeal over the preliminary injunction. That allowed him to play last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he had 93 rushing yards and a touchdown in a win.

Elliott was suspended six games in August after his former girlfriend accused him in 2016 of domestic violence. Elliott was never charged by police but the NFL suspended him after their own investigation, and denied his appeal. A Texas district court judge granted Elliott a temporary restraining order before the Cowboys’ regular-season opener, and that set in motion a series of legal events that allowed him to play the Cowboys’ first eight games.

Elliott played very well while his suspension worked through the courts. He is second in the NFL with 783 rushing yards and is just 17 yards behind NFL-leader Kareem Hunt of the Chiefs, who has played one more game than Elliott. The Cowboys built a 5-3 record in the first half of the season to put them squarely in the NFC playoff race.

If Elliott’s suspension remains in effect starting now, he won’t return until the second-to-last game of the regular season, which is Dec. 24 against the Seattle Seahawks. The Cowboys’ next six games are: at Atlanta, vs. Philadelphia, vs. Los Angeles Chargers, vs. Washington, at New York Giants, at Oakland.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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