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The Dallas Cowboys managed to stay in the NFC playoff race as Ezekiel Elliott's suspension played out, and now that he's back, he'll have a major part in their offensive game plan against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.
During the six games Elliott missed for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the Cowboys managed to go 3-3 to run their 2017 record to 8-6. In order to make the postseason, Dallas has to win its final two games, which becomes a much more reasonable task with Zeke's return.
The Cowboys won't take their time easing Elliott back into the fold. According to head coach Jason Garrett, Ezekiel is practicing in full today for Dallas and will be used as the number one back against the Seahawks. Elliott reportedly has no limitations, and with the most obvious quote of all-time, Garrett said he's “excited to have him back.”
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Despite missing nearly half of the Cowboys' games this year, Elliott is still tied for 5th in rushing touchdowns with seven. He has compiled 783 yards on the ground, good for a league-leading average of 97.9 yards per game.
Dallas struggled offensively during the first half of Elliott's suspension, dropping three consecutive games while average a putrid 7.33 points per game. However, they found nice a rhythm over the last three weeks, collecting a trio of wins while putting up nearly 30 points per game.
Alfred Morris was the primary back during Elliott's absence, but Rod Smith carved a nice role for himself as well as a dangerous receiver out of the backfield. It will be interesting to see how much snaps this pair still gets with Elliott taking the bulk of the carries.
