Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is standing by his star running back.
Ezekiel Elliott received a boatload of criticism after he appeared to quit on a play during the Cowboys’ Week 2 matchup with the Denver Broncos this past Sunday. After Chris Harris Jr. intercepted a Dak Prescott pass, Elliott didn’t look very interested in trying to chase down the Broncos cornerback.
In an interview with CBS Radio’s 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Jones didn’t totally exonerate Elliott for a lack of effort, but he believes the 22-year-old shouldn’t be the only Cowboys player receiving criticism from that particular play.
“I think if you look at everybody’s reaction to that interception, certainly on that interception, if you really look at several Dallas Cowboys players on that interception you saw what would not be the case in a closely contested ball game,” Jones said, as transcribed by USA Today. “I think you can point to Zeke, but you really have to look at the general effort to chase that ball down by most of the people that were on the field. Dak now, of course, gave it everything he had to try to contain that interception, but still you look at it across the board and you’ll see that you need more effort than what you see.”
It was an all-around forgettable afternoon for Elliott at Sports Authority Field. He rushed for just eight yards on nine carries, while adding a measly 14 receiving yards on four catches in Dallas’ ugly 42-17 loss.
Elliott and the Cowboys will have a golden opportunity to bounce back in Week 3, though, as they’ll take on the lowly Cardinals in Arizona in a “Monday Night Football” clash.
Thumbnail photo via Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports Images
