Cowboys Key to Win at Bucs: Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard 'Dine & Dash' in Playoffs
The Dallas Cowboys offense has not looked quite "right'' since their Christmas Eve win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
How much of that is wear-and-tear on Ezekiel Elliott? How much has been due to the health status of running Tony Pollard?
Pollard missed the "Thursday Night Football" game versus the Tennessee Titans due to a thigh injury. Without him, the Cowboys run game managed just 87 yards against the Titans. Yet, in his return, the rushing attack was no better.
The Cowboys rushed for 64 yards in the 26-6 regular-season finale loss to the Washington Commanders. It was a performance to forget for the offense, especially for quarterback Dak Prescott, whose 37-percent completion rate is the worst of his career.
The Cowboys are "guaranteed four quarters" on Monday but nothing more, as stated by coach Mike McCarthy ... And we say a big key to victory for the "dragon-slaying" Cowboys on Monday night in the playoff opener at Tampa will be to find their groove in the run game.
In the season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas rushed for just 71 yards in the 19-3 loss. That wasn't good enough ... but for much of the season, Zeke and Pollard - "Dine & Dash'' has been central to both ball control and splash plays.
When the 12-5 Cowboys' offense has been at its best, it has been in large part due to the balance of the offense with an effective run and passing game. ... hand-in-hand.
The 8-9 Bucs are billed as "Tom Brady's Bucs,'' and that's understandable. But Tampa Bay also prides itself on being a run-stop defense first. Dallas' subtle ability to deal with that might be just as important as any of the headline-grabbing issues we'll deal with all week.
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