With Dak Prescott in his second season and Ezekiel Elliott's suspension pushed off for the foreseeable future, the Dallas Cowboys offense was expected to be among the best in the league.
Apparently nobody told the Denver Broncos that because the AFC West club absolutely pummeled the Cowboys, holding Dallas to just 268 yards in a 42-17 beatdown on Sunday.
Elliott may as well have been serving his suspension, because the offense wouldn't have even noticed his absence in Denver. The reigning NFL rushing leader managed only eight yards on nine carries, by far the worst showing of his young career.
The chart of his carries shows absolutely astounding results that seemed impossible for a back of his caliber.
| Carry # | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | no gain |
| 2 | 3-yard gain |
| 3 | 2-yard gain |
| 4 | no gain |
| 5 | 5-yard loss |
| 6 | no gain |
| 7 | 2-yard gain |
| 8 | 1-yard gain |
| 9 | 5-yard gain |
Without the threat of a running game, Prescott had one of his worst performances as a pro, completing just 30-of-50 passes for 238 yards and two interceptions. His 4.8-yard average shows just how much the team struggled to get anything going down the field.
The New York Giants' defense played well against the Cowboys last week as well, holding them to just one touchdown and four field goals in a 19-3 loss. Elliott topped the 100-yard mark and Prescott threw for 268 yards and a score, but they didn't look anything like the explosive outfit we saw in 2016.
That continued Sunday with the Broncos' dominant performance, as the excellent secondary befuddled Prescott all game. While this Aqib Talib pick-6 came after the game was out of reach, the terrible decision by the second-year quarterback has to be concerning.
🚫✈️@AqibTalib21 snags his 10th career pick-six in the final minute of #DALvsDEN! pic.twitter.com/mrwixsDduV
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 18, 2017
The Cowboys face another road test in Arizona next Monday against the Cardinals, where one of the best rush defenses in the league is waiting for Dallas' struggling offense.
Through two weeks, the Cardinals have allowed just 152 rushing yards total, meaning it could be tough for Elliott to find daylight. That would place the onus on Prescott to kick start the offense, and Sunday showed that may not be as sure a thing as people thought entering this season.
