Ezekiel Elliott's mom grows emotional as Cowboys RB inches closer to franchise history
Week 16 certainly was a fun week of action as the Dallas Cowboys made the rest of the league stand up and take notice. While they didn't have anything left to play for apart from a worse draft pick in April, the Cowboys defense put on a show and then some to pick up a thrilling 26-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football.
There were more than a few touchdowns on the night and Ezekiel Elliott had one as well. The Cowboys veteran managed to find the end zone on his only rushing attempt, one that lasted a single yard.
That, however, was his 71st career rushing touchdown in a Cowboys uniform. Elliott's mom, Dawn Elliott, was paying keen attention to the game and despite the fact that we didn't see him on the field again after the score, she penned a note for the running back on social media platform X:
"This is his 71st career rushing TD as a Dallas Cowboys. Only needs one more to tie Mr. Dorsett."
This was Elliott's third TD of the season after he scored one in their Week 1 opener against the Cleveland Browns, and another in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers. In his career with the Cowboys and Patriots, he has 73 TDs, so he's only two shy of 75, a number only 27 other players have reached.
With one more TD in a Cowboys uniform, he will tie franchise legend Tony Dorsett's total of 72.
Cowboys RB room fails to impress in 2024
Having lost Tony Pollard in free agency, the hope was that Jerry Jones would work his magic and sign a top-tier talent to lead the backfield. Instead, the Cowboys settled for a 1-2 punch of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott has not eclipsed 40 rushing yards since Week 1 against Cleveland. He has also seen his role dwindle drastically since the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in early November.
Meanwhile, Dowdle has had some big games of late, racking up 100+ rushing yards in three of his last four games. He has just one TD on the season but given the fact that he is playing for a new contract, Dowdle's numbers bode well for this future in 2025.
As a whole, however, the RB room has failed to carry the offense when they're in a lull. 2025 presents another opportunity for a revamp in the backfield and the Cowboys have been strongly linked with drafting Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. However, Dallas's win over Tampa could complicate things since it is now projected to have the 15th pick in the draft.