The Dallas Cowboys played their first game of the season without Ezekiel Elliott on Sunday, and they are hoping it was not representative of what the next five are going to look like. Dak Prescott struggled in the 27-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and one NFL reporter does not think that was a coincidence.
Philadelphia-based reporter Howard Eskin feels that Prescott’s success early in his NFL career has been linked to Elliott’s dominance in the running game.
The #cowboys have real problems as we saw in loss to #falcons. Without RB Zeke Elliott QB Dak Prescott is not that special. As it turns out Jerry Jones should have let Elliott take his suspension early in the season. #eagles next Sunday night. @SportsRadioWIP
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) November 13, 2017
It might be unfair to conclude that Prescott is “not that special” without Elliott, especially since Sunday’s game was only the second that the two were not on the field together. That doesn’t mean Eskin is wrong, but Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley certainly disagrees with him.
“This is the dumbest s— I’ve ever heard,” Beasley wrote in response to Eskin’s tweet. “Dak is that dude.”
Eskin didn’t back down:
If Dak is that Dude he should be better at felling and reading the pressure. Easy to give him a pass because of OL injury. Prescott not same guy without running game. The #cowboys got SMOKED by an ordinary #falcons team. See ya next week. @SportsRadioWIP https://t.co/OczQT8YiOU
— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) November 13, 2017
Prescott completed 20-of-30 passes for 176 yards and no touchdowns, and the entire Dallas offense looked out of sync. Elliott is an incredible talent and a focal point for the Cowboys, so adjusting to his absence will take time. If Prescott is truly nothing special without his star running back, Dallas is going to have trouble staying in the playoff hunt.
Fortunately for Eskin, Beasley isn’t quite as animated on Twitter as his wife. If that was the case, there would have been more than just one curse word.
