‘I play to help my team win.’ Dallas Cowboys’ Zeke Elliott nixes ‘statement’ game talk
A knee injury kept Ezekiel Elliott from practicing with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, but the running back downplayed any concern.
Elliott said his knee was a little stiff, but “a lot of the stiffness is gone” now. “So just kind of taking the load off of it, giving it time to heal, get right for this weekend,” he said.
The Cowboys (3-1) host the New York Giants (1-3) at 3:25 p.m. Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Elliott wasn’t sure if the injury came from a specific hit during last week’s 36-28 win against the Carolina Panthers. And it isn’t a pain he’s had before.
“No, it’s something new. But like I said, I had some tightness the day after the game but I’d say today I feel three times better than I did on Monday,” he said.
Elliott is coming off his seventh-best rushing day in the NFL. He had 143 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
“It feels good to go out there and win football games,” he said, dismissing any suggestion that he cared about his individual statistics. “It feels good to go out there and somewhat dominate teams. I think we’re at a good spot as a team. Seems like things are clicking. Just got to keep getting better.”
When he was pushed on whether his performance last week made a statement, Elliott credited his offensive line and said the offense made a statement.
“I think it was a statement game for this team. I think the o-line came out and dominated their front,” he said. “They’re the reason we were so successful on the ground. I don’t like making it about, ‘Oh, I did this to make a statement because you guys thought I was [crappy].’ That’s not why I come out here and play. I don’t come out here to play to prove to people that I’m a good player. I come out here to play to help my team win. I come out and play to support my brothers. Anything I do on the field is not to prove someone wrong. It’s to prove to my team that I love them and I’ll do anything to go out there and help them win a football game.”
But did that 143 yards feel good?
“It feels good to do well, but not because people thought I was done,” he said.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
