The Dallas Cowboys will be without one of their best offensive players on Sunday, with star running back Ezekiel Elliott set to miss the game with an injury, the team announced.
This will be the second week in a row that Elliott has been forced to sit out, after missing last week's win over the Chicago Bears.
The news comes on the heels of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones telling 105.3 The Fan's K&C Masterpiece that he believed Elliott would be available for the matchup on Friday.
"I do [think he'll play]," Jones said told K&C Masterpiece on Friday. "Everything I've seen -- I watched him yesterday, got a report on the practice. We'll see how he looks out here in a few minutes, but I think he's on the go."
But with an additional week of rest due to a bye in Week 9, Elliott appears poised to resume his role as the Cowboys' bell cow. He last suited up on October 23, when the Cowboys beat the Lions in Week 7.
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The Cowboys shouldn’t be in any rush to play Elliott at less than 100 percent, continuing to ride the hot hand with Tony Pollard, who erupted for 149 yards (131 rushing, 18 receiving) and three touchdowns against the Bears.
Averaging an efficient 6.2 yards per carry (first among NFL running backs), Pollard has been the more explosive back this season—and arguably the past several years—though the Cowboys have too much money invested in Elliott to use him as a backup, a continual source of frustration for fans who would rather hand the backfield reins to Pollard full time.