Cowboys news: Ezekiel Elliott focused on the team, not himself

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Ezekiel Elliott on backup role with Cowboys: ‘I’m not making it about me’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys,com

The former rushing champ wants to be the best leader he can be.

It’s not exactly as Ezekiel Elliott envisioned when he reunited with his beloved Dallas Cowboys in 2024, but he’s not rocking the boat over the reduced role he’s seen through the first five games of the season — his rep count being turned down following the Week 1 victory against the Cleveland Browns.

The win over the Pittsburgh Steelers featured Rico Dowdle having a career game, and it helped push the Cowboys to a 3-2 record on the season and their first two-game win streak of the 2024 season.

In mixing in Hunter Luepke more as well, the three-man unit finally got the Cowboys’ rushing attack going, and against the No. 2-ranked run defense in the league, no less, and that’s what Elliott is keyed in on most.

“I think the biggest thing is we got the attempts [for the group],” said Elliott. “I think it is tough early in the game when you run the football, because the defenses, they’re not tired, They’re fresh and all geared up. But once you get that second half and you start getting those attempts, you start to see that D-line wear down.

“We started to see that front wear down and those guys getting pushed off the ball. So, I mean, I think the biggest thing is to continue to try to get those attempts.”

The committee combined for a total of 28 handoffs, 31 in all when factoring in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin, and head coach Mike McCarthy noted after the game that the sweet spot there is roughly 30 carries.

Mission accomplished, for the first time this season.

As for Elliott’s role in how the committee is being relegated to a backup capacity, owner and general manager Jerry Jones was unequivocal in describing the Cowboys’ plan, in that it’s a long NFL season and, at some point, that means they’ll need Elliott to have fresh legs.

Cowboys rule out Eric Kendricks for Lions game – Todd Archer, ESPN

Dallas can’t seem to escape the injury bug in 2024.

Not only will the Dallas Cowboys be without top pass rusher Micah Parsons for a second straight game because of a high left ankle sprain, they’ll also be without leading tackler Eric Kendricks against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Kendricks was ruled out Friday with shoulder and calf injuries after he did not practice during the week. The Cowboys have their bye on Oct. 20 and return to action Oct. 27 against the San Francisco 49ers, and the hope is Kendricks will be ready to return.

Kendricks, who has been credited with 52 tackles, has played 91.1% of the snaps this season. He also has 2 sacks, 1 tackle for loss, 3 quarterback pressures, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 2 pass deflections.

“He’s our quarterback,” coach Mike McCarthy said of Kendricks’ importance to the defense earlier in the week. “He knows [the defense] inside and out. As far as a leadership perspective, getting the front set, the communication is outstanding and frankly he’s got so much experience in that defense. Super instinctive. Very aware. Very, very disciplined player.”

Kendricks’ potential replacement, Nick Vigil, is questionable with a foot injury that kept him out of practice this week. The Cowboys have another workout Saturday, so if Vigil can make it through that without an issue, he could play vs. the Lions.

Why have Cowboys struggled to get CeeDee Lamb involved in second half of games? – Jon Machota, The Athletic

CeeDee Lamb only has one second half reception this season, and that needs to change immediately.

With under four minutes to play last Sunday night in Pittsburgh, Dak Prescott threw to his left for a nine-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb. It was the fourth play of a 15-play, game-winning drive for the Dallas Cowboys.

It was also the only reception the Cowboys’ star wide receiver has made in the fourth quarter this season.

Through the first five weeks, Lamb is on pace for 1,285 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. An excellent year for most, but not for the NFL’s second-highest paid non-quarterback who finished with 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.

His statistics have been great in the first half. It’s the third and fourth quarters when teams have successfully taken him away.

“What happens is we pop off early on and obviously nobody wants to see that for the second half of the game, so they do a great job of making halftime adjustments, bringing two (defenders),” Lamb said Thursday. “Nine times out of 10 I’m getting cloud (coverage). Kudos to them. They’re doing a great job stopping the bleeding. But we’re still winning, so it’s cool.”

Lamb said he is seeing significantly more of that extra coverage than he did last season while earning first-team All-Pro honors.

“But it’s cool, though,” he added. “I got to find different ways to be effective in the game. I understand that. And I will.”

Jake Ferguson quickly becoming Cowboys No. 2 option in passing game – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire

Ferguson keeps showing how valuable he is to the Cowboys offense.

The Cowboys’ passing offense is built around the brilliance of CeeDee Lamb. The fifth-year veteran from Oklahoma has fast become one of the best receivers in the NFL and represents the heart and soul of Dallas downfield attack. After Lamb is where things get interesting.

The No. 2 option in Dallas was supposed to be veteran receiver Brandin Cooks. But a slow start to the season coupled with an untimely injury has landed the veteran on IR and out of the conversation. Jalen Tolbert, the “next man up” in this scenario, enjoyed a coming out party as the Cowboys new WR2. His seven receptions for 87 yards set career highs and his game-winning touchdown against the Steelers in the final seconds cemented his place in rivalry lore forever.

For as promising as Tolbert is, it’s Jake Ferguson, the Cowboys’ tight end, who’s actually the No. 2 pass catching option for Dak Prescott. The 2023 Pro Bowler has quietly posted a rather impressive season thus far in 2024. It’s a testament to his continued development and nothing short of remarkable considering Ferguson has only played in three complete games this season.

In those three games, he’s averaging over 8 targets, 5.6 receptions and 71 yards per game.

In Week 5, Ferguson led all Dallas pass catchers who had three or more targets in success rate (71 percent) and in total EPA (5.4 EPA). He was frequently the secondary option Prescott turned to when Lamb was locked down and a means to exploit second level defenders who were more run-focused in nature.

5 things to watch when the Cowboys play the Lions in Sunday – Dan Rogers, Blogging The Boys

The Lions present a plethora of challenges for the Cowboys on Sunday.

The Dallas Cowboys have won six straight games against the Detroit Lions and on Sunday they will try to make it seven. The Lions are coming off a bye so they’ll be well rested when they stroll into AT&T Stadium. Rest couldn’t come soon enough for the Cowboys as this is a banged up team and their bye week is just around the corner. Before that can happen they’ll have to get through one more game. Here are five things to look for when the Cowboys host the Lions on Sunday.

1. A tough test ahead for the run defense

It’s nice to see the Cowboys’ run defense improve over the last couple of weeks, but the challenge they face this week will be tough. The Lions feature a dynamic tandem of runners in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery provides a consistent punch and Gibbs will hurt you with his explosiveness. Since joining the Lions last year, Montgomery has had the fourth-best rushing success rate while Gibbs has had the sixth-best explosive run rate (courtesy of NextGenStats). These two collectively put up almost 140 yards per game on the ground.

The Cowboys’ defense will have to do a good job clogging the middle and be physical when tackling. If defenders fail to fill voids or miss tackles, this could be a long day for the defense.

2. Gotta get to Goff

The Lions’ rushing attack is good. They are ranked sixth-best in the league in rushing yards per game. But their passing attack is equally potent. They rank seventh-best in passing yards per game. The Detroit offense will be the most balanced offense the Cowboys have faced this season. There will be challenges on every play.

The passing attack features good receiving weapons in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta, but their danger level will come down to the guy throwing them the ball. Jared Goff is coming off a game where he didn’t throw a single incomplete pass (18/18 against the Seahawks in Week 4). He had it easy. When Goff isn’t pressured he has a passer rating of 113.2 since 2023 which is second in the NFL. However, when he’s pressured that drops to 64.0 (ranked 23rd). The Cowboys can’t afford to let him get comfortable in the pocket.

This could be troubling for a team that keeps losing its best-pressure guys. With a depleted defensive line (including one of the league’s top pressure guys in Micah Parsons), the Cowboys must find a way to get to Goff. Look for Mike Zimmer to get creative with some added rushers coming from the back seven.

2 Cowboys veterans from Detroit will play big roles in Week 6 – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star

If Dallas wants to beat Detroit, these two defenders need to play well.

Jourdan Lewis: This One Is Personal

You may remember from 2022 and 2023 that Cornerback Jourdan Lewis has been balling out against the Lions. This Detroit native seems to have a personal chip on his shoulder when he gets to matchup with his hometown team.

Lewis has an interception in each of the Cowboys last two games against the Lions.

In addition to that, it seems “J-Lew” has remained in the mind of Detroit’s best weapon, Wide Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The All-Pro has said that Lewis’ “crazy” trash talk is like something he’s “never heard before.” In typical fashion, the long-tenured Cowboy fired back that if any of what he said was personal, he’d “probably say it again.”

Aside from the beef between Lewis and St. Brown and his previous performance against the Lions, we can’t forget how critical he is to the Cowboys defense right now, even if DaRon Bland returns this week.

The Cowboys veteran cornerback is playing great football; he’s consistently ranked as one of the top slot corners in the game this year.

With Detroit’s explosive offense coming to town, and either a depleted Cowboys secondary, or one with a rusty Bland, Lewis is poised to be one of the most important veterans on the team in Week 6.

Will we see a third consecutive Cowboys-Lions game with a Jourdan Lewis interception?