Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
Monday Night Football this week will be a matchup between NFC East rivals Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams enter the game 1-1 and will look to get their first division win in a wide open divisional race. The game will be kicking off at 8:15 p.m ET Monday night on ESPN, or ESPN2 if you prefer to watch the causal and fun-packed Manning broadcast.
5 bold predictions for Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
5. Eagles vs Cowboys predictions: Philly lets Tony Pollard run wild
Running back Ezekiel Elliott has not put forth a performance yet this season that is reminiscent of the back that many debated was the best in the entire league. Through the Cowboys first two games, Elliott ran for 33 yards on 11 carries and 71 yards on 16 carries. While the 71 yards at a 4.4 average was an improvement in Week 2, it was backfield mate Tony Pollard who stole the show on the ground.
Pollard ran for 109 yards on 13 carries to lead Dallas in rushing for the game. He leads the Cowboys on the season with 123 rushing yards with a 7.7 yards per carry average.
Part of this is just due to the way Pollard is deployed. While Pollard is an explosive back, his carries often come in less obvious running situations than Elliot. That allows him to get in space and make things happen.
With the Eagles showcasing a competent defense through the first two games, it is likely they will key in on Elliott when he is in the backfield and limit his rushing. Expect Pollard to be able to rack up more yards and the Cowboys find interesting ways to get him the ball.