Cowboys news: Dallas' new game plan with Ezekiel Elliott due to knee injury

The Dallas Cowboys are apparently going to change things up a bit with Ezekiel Elliott because of his knee injury.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is playing through a knee injury, and he was clearly limited in the 36-33 Thanksgiving loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Elliott is dealing with a bone bruise, and NFL Network's Ian Rapaport says this injury will affect him for the rest of the season as long as he continues to play through it.

Per Rap, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted after the loss to the Raiders that Dallas plans to “alter the game plan” because of Elliott's injury. This could mean a lot more Tony Pollard:

From @GMFB: The #Cowboys may alter Zeke Elliott's touches as he deals with a bone bruise in his knee, while #Raiders TE Darren Waller will have tests today on a knee injury suffered last night. He was not in a lot of pain late, so maybe good news there. pic.twitter.com/yol4PsuPr8

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 26, 2021

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Elliott and Pollard nearly had the same amount of touches for the Cowboys against Vegas. Elliott rushed nine times for 25 yards and one touchdown while also catching six passes for 24 yards. Pollard had 10 carries for 36 yards and also caught four passes for 32 yards. Elliot was the one who scored a touchdown, but Pollard was more efficient overall with his touches. It sure sounds like Pollard will wind up getting more touches moving forward for Dallas, at least for the time being.

There will, of course, also be plenty of Dak Prescott. The Cowboys quarterback threw 47 passes against the Raiders, completing 32 of them for 375 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't turn the ball over in a stellar performance, but it wasn't enough to get a win because Dallas' defense got torn apart by Vegas. The Raiders recorded a whopping 509 yards of offense, bringing back memories of last season's pitiful Cowboys defense. The home team also racked up 166 yards in penalties.

Dallas has now lost three of its last four games after starting the season 6-1. The Cowboys still have a firm grip on the NFC East with a two-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles, but things are tightening up a bit after it looked like America's Team was going to run away with the division earlier this season.