Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott Played Through Partially Torn PCL Injury; Won't Need Surgery

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott told reporters following Sunday's playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers that he played this season with a partially torn PCL.

He also said he will not need offseason surgery for the setback.

Elliott dealt with the knee injury throughout the 2021 season, and the Cowboys considered giving the three-time Pro Bowler some time off to see if it would help him get closer to full strength, though he didn't feel it was necessary, per ESPN's Ed Werder.

"It's football," Elliott said in late November. "You get hurt. You aren't going to be 100 percent. I'm tough. Play through it."

The 26-year-old Ohio State product was effective despite the injury, tallying 1,289 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns across 17 appearances in the regular season.

The Cowboys were forced to work around injuries to their offensive skill players throughout the campaign, so they were not in uncharted territory in the backfield when they had to turn toward Tony Pollard at times.