Following the brutal loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 2, Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys received his fair share of criticism for his lack of effort. Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson was among those that criticized Elliott, and now the up-and-comer has responded.

According to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, Elliott is embracing the criticism and accepting responsibility for his lackluster effort against Denver.

“I guess you could say it looked like that,” Elliott said Thursday in his first comments since Tomlinson’s criticism. “I would say I was just very frustrated, but that’s no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape. I just can’t do that. Being one of the leaders on the team and being a guy that people count on, I can’t put that type of stuff on film.”

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Elliott had the worst performance of his NFL career against the Broncos rushing for only eight yards on nine carries. Even quarterback Dak Prescott had more of an impact on the ground than Elliott with a team-high 24 rushing yards.

In Week 3, Elliott and company will try to bounce back as they go on the road to face the struggling Arizona Cardinals. Although the Cardinals aren't the dominant force of old, the team's run defense could pose a challenge for Dallas. Arizona has the 10th best run defense in the league with two weeks in the books.

The team will return to AT&T Stadium in Week 4 for a two-game homestand against the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers before heading back on the road for Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers.