LaDainian Tomlinson Says Ezekiel Elliott 'Quit' on Cowboys in Loss to Broncos

Many things went wrong with the Dallas Cowboys during Week 2's 42-17 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The defense relinquished 178 rushing yards and four Trevor Siemian passing touchdowns. Dak Prescott threw two interceptions while averaging a meager 4.8 yards per pass attempt. Yet Ezekiel Elliott has drawn the most ire for his lackluster outing.

LaDainian Tomlinson directed his criticism at the second-year running back, who ran for eight yards on nine carries during a lopsided contest. On NFL Network's NFL GameDay Prime (via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News), the former San Diego Chargers star scorned Elliott for what he perceived as a lack of effort:

Zeke, to his credit, he didn't have any room today. He was running, getting hit in the backfield, making moves in the backfield. But all of that is OK. I didn't like the way he quit today. I didn't like that. He absolutely quit on his team today.

He elaborated when asked to clarify:

"First his attitude on the sideline. Clearly, he didn't have any communication with his teammates. But also, he didn't want to talk to his teammates. Some times when things are going wrong, as a leader of that team, as a captain, you have to step up and rally the troops."

Tomlinson wasn't alone in his assessment. The MMQB's Peter King lambasted Elliott for not persuing Denver cornerback Chris Harris after a third-quarter interception.

Before Sunday, Elliott's 51-yard NFL debut represented his lowest single-game rushing tally. Yet the Cowboys never lost by more than three points when he played last season, so he had never operated from so far behind.