5 areas the Dallas Cowboys will vastly improve this December

Dallas Cowboys Improvement No. 2

Running efficiency

Jerry Jones is saying publicly that Ezekiel Elliott will plow through the pain and continue to be a key part of the offense each week. Logic and visual evidence suggest otherwise, and at some point this month, Zeke needs to be put on ice.

With Ezekiel Elliott potentially losing time to physically recover down the stretch, it’s hard to make the case the Dallas Cowboys running game is primed to improve. But a quick look at the numbers suggests improvement may not be all that hard to achieve and an increase in rushing efficiency should almost be a given.

With a 67.6% failure rate and an extremely negative expected points added on handoffs, it’s safe to say the running game has done far more harm than help.

Over the past six weeks the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL. Their success rate running the ball has been a horrific 32.4% with their EPA sitting at a cool -.254 (31st in the NFL). With a 67.6% failure rate and an extremely negative expected points added on handoffs, it’s safe to say the running game has done far more harm than help.

Taking a more opportunistic approach might be exactly what the doctor called for and a focus on quality over quantity may be all this Dallas Cowboys offense needs to run the table down the stretch.

Tony Pollard is in the midst of his best season as a pro. He’s been better than Zeke in multiple key individual categories like Yards After Contact/Attempt, Rush Attempts/ Broken Tackle, and Receptions/ Broken Tackle (categories Zeke is supposed to be elite in). Outside of the volume stats, there’s not much Zeke can do that Pollard can’t do better.

Together with the aforementioned healthy offensive line, Pollard should have no problem carrying the torch while Zeke is nursing his wounds (be it in workload or missed games). The Dallas Cowboys offensive line is already top-5 in run block win rate and since Pollard rates better in yards after contact, there’s no reason to think production will dip from an efficiency point of view at least.