Ezekiel Elliott Comments on Hitting 'Rookie Wall,' Cowboys' Style of Play

The 7-1 Dallas Cowboys are halfway through their schedule with the bye week in the rearview mirror, but rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott isn't worried about hitting the proverbial wall.

"I feel good, you know? I feel I've been taking good care of my body. I feel fresh and just trying to stay on this routine, try to make sure I continue to stay fresh," he said, per Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram. "I'm not really worried about a 'rookie wall.'"

He hasn't hit the rookie wall yet with an NFL-best 891 rushing yards. Davison noted he is on pace for 1,782 yards on the ground, which would fall short of Eric Dickerson's rookie record of 1,808. He is also on pace for 354 carries, which would be significantly less than Dickerson's 390 in the record-setting rookie season.

However, the Ohio State product can still break the mark if he averages 115 rushing yards per game the rest of the way.

Elliott hasn't shown many signs of slowing down, with six straight games of at least 92 rushing yards:

Opponent	Result	Rushing Yards	TD Runs
New York Giants	20-19, NYG	51	1
Washington	27-23, DAL	83	1
Chicago Bears	31-17, DAL	140	0
San Francisco 49ers	24-17, DAL	138	1
Cincinnati Bengals	28-14, DAL	134	2
Green Bay Packers	30-16, DAL	157	0
Philadelphia Eagles	29-23 (OT), DAL	96	0
Cleveland Browns	35-10, DAL	92	2

He credited the Cowboys' physical style of play as he and the offensive line—which Football Outsiders ranks as the second-best run-blocking unit in the league—continue to wear down the opposition, per Davison:

"

I think the identity of the offense is just physical, being physical, going out there and wearing guys down and pulling away in the second or third or fourth quarter. We come out there and it's pretty obvious we want to run the ball. Our game plan has been the same week in and week out. We try to run the ball, try to wear them down so in the third or fourth quarter they don’t want to be out there.

"

Dallas has enjoyed seven wins in a row with that style following a narrow one-point loss to the New York Giants in the season opener. It leads the division by two games, although it still plays the Giants, Washington and Philadelphia Eagles down the stretch.

Elliott and the Cowboys will be tested in the second half of their schedule beyond just the division matchups. They play only one team with a current record below .500 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) in their final eight games and will need that physical style of play they have thrived on if they hope to win the NFC East and clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs.

The difficult slate also gives Elliott a chance to pursue Dickerson's record because there likely won't be many blowouts like Dallas' 35-10 win over the hapless Cleveland Browns on Sunday. That means the Cowboys will probably keep riding the NFL's leading rusher in the most important moments instead of resting him late in surefire wins.

To hear Elliott say it, he's ready for the workload.