The Cowboys went off for a season-high 49 points against the Bears on Sunday. Their previous best offensive output was 25 points against the Commanders but they looked unstoppable against Chicago.
Dak Prescott played better in his second game back from injury, but it was the running game that stole the show. Even without Ezekiel Elliott active, Tony Pollard was able to take over.
Jerry Jones said after the game that the Cowboys go as Elliott goes, but having two capable running backs is a bonus.
Bryan Broaddus and Bobby Belt of the Audacy Original Podcast “Love of the Star” debated how Elliott and Pollard should be used in the second half of the season.
“I think Tony Pollard was ready for this opportunity,” Broaddus said (2:53 in player above). “In years past, we’d seen Tony Pollard not really share carries with Ezekiel Elliott. It’d always been third series of the game.
“Through Week 8, you’ve seen more of him and Zeke sharing those carries. That’s the thing, I think, that’s what helped Tony Pollard get ready for his opportunity. Tony Pollard’s a fine player. Tony Pollard can more than carry the mail for you when he has to,” he continued. “But the fact that he’s played the first eight games and it’s been a sharing of carries and not just all Zeke, all Zeke, and then when Zeke goes down, well OK let’s see what Tony can do.”
Pollard ran for a season-high 131 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns, including a 54-yarder on a third-and-1 carry on Sunday against the Bears. It was something that the running back was ready for after sharing carries throughout the season.
On the season, Pollard now leads the Cowboys with 505 rushing yards on 81 carries. Elliott has had 28 more carries than Pollard but only 443 yards. That’s a 6.2 vs. 4.1 yards per carry for Pollard and Elliott, with both coincidentally averaging 63.3 yards per game.
Given Pollard’s showing on Sunday in a starting role, should he see more action than Elliott after the bye week?
“I think that they’ve done a great job just trying to balance these two guys out,” Broaddus said, referencing last week’s win against Detroit. “They had 27 carries between them. 15 and 12 for 142, and I keep saying it, 5.2 yards per carry. I’m OK with that.”
A feature running back may be able to put up similar numbers, but there’s a benefit from splitting those carries.
“I think the wear and tear you’re saving on these backs by giving one 15, the other 12, should it be a huge disparity – should one get 20 and the other six? No. But if they’re pretty close to what they’re doing, I have no problem,” Broaddus continued.
It’s also a possibility to get them both on the field at the same time to keep defenses guessing.
“I think you need to come up with more creative ways to get them both in the backfield and you saw a little bit of that where Zeke’s the halfback, Pollard’s a wing or a slot or whatever you have to do,” Broaddus said. “I think there are some seriously good, creative ways to get them both on the field, get them both touches they need, but if you’re telling me I can have 27 carries, 142 yards for a five-point average, I’m going with that all day.”
Having two running backs that can be utilized in different situations should be a plus for an offense. It’s a matter of the Cowboys figuring out how to properly optimize Elliott and Pollard.
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