Ezekiel Elliott did not practice on Wednesday and may be absent against Chicago

Last Sunday’s Cowboys-Lions game left some serious casualties on the Cowboy side. One is offensive lineman Matt Farniok, who will be out at least six weeks and is aiming to go on injured reserve. Now, after the first practice this week, Dallas may be without running back Ezekiel Elliott for Sunday.

Let’s remember that, during the second quarter of the game against Detroit, Zeke suffered a knee injury that took him out of the field for a few minutes. Despite this, the running back was able to return after the break and be key to the cowboy victory with two touchdown carries. However, this Wednesday the exact extent of Elliott’s injury was revealed.

According to Mike McCarthy, head coach of the Cowboys, Elliott has a sprain in his right knee. He said so during a press conference before practice on Wednesday. Coincidentally, the affected knee is the same one in which Elliott suffered the partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament, which limited him during the 2021 season.

However, McCarthy said Elliott’s sprain is not related to his injury last year. In addition, the head coach of the Cowboys reported that Zeke would not train with the team this Wednesday. Instead of practicing, the #21 would do rehab work under the supervision of trainer Britt Brown.

Elliott’s status for Sunday is uncertain.

Following Ezekiel Elliott’s absence from practice on Wednesday and the confirmation of his injury, rumors arose regarding the running back’s exact injury. And these are due to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram report which contradicts the information given by Mike McCarthy.

Said report indicates that Elliott suffered a grade II sprain of the medial cruciate ligament and a deep bruise on his right thigh. Because of this, the running back would be ruled out to play against Chicago. Nevertheless, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News corroborated According to sources close to the player, it is not a sprain but a hyperextension in his right knee.

However, the source cited by Gehlken indicated that Elliott could be out against the Bears. This, according to the report, due to the swelling and bruising on Zeke’s knee, puts his participation in Sunday’s game in doubt. In fact, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero also reported Wednesday that Zeke would be a Dallas casualty against Chicago.

The truth is that there is still no official confirmation from the team. In fact, not even Ezekiel Elliott himself knows for sure if he will play against the Bears or not. This was revealed in his statements to the press this Wednesday, in which he stated that he could play on Sunday without having to train during the week.

“I don’t know right now, we have a lot of time until Sunday”Elliott said of his chances of playing against the Bears. “If I can be there on the field of play, why not? I’m not going to be out for a game because I don’t feel 100%.”

Given these statements by Elliott, the question is: will what happened last year be repeated?

Recall that, in the 2021 campaign, Ezekiel Elliott suffered a knee injury in week 4. Since then, his performance has dropped significantly, affecting Dallas’ ground game. Despite this, Zeke never rested and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore insisted on playing with him. Then, after the playoff elimination, Elliott revealed that he did not suffer from a bone contusion as he said weeks ago, but rather a partial rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament.

Given this situation, it remains to be seen if the Cowboys will make the same mistake with Zeke twice. Logically, the running back shouldn’t play against Chicago. That way, he’ll get additional rest beyond Week 9, and could be in better shape for the Week 10 matchup with the Packers. Plus, it would allow running back Tony Pollard more opportunities on offense this weekend.

As we can see, several reports affirm that Ezekiel Elliott will be absent against the Bears. Either way, wait for further injury reports from the Cowboys, especially Friday’s final report. In them we can see if the Dallas coaching staff finally decides not to force Zeke, no matter how willing he is to play.

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Ezekiel Elliott did not practice on Wednesday and may be absent against Chicago