Ezekiel Elliott on Cowboys' Shutout Loss to Colts: 'It's Embarrassing'

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott shared the sentiment of many fans after the team lost 23-0 to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"We can't go out there and do that. We cannot," Elliott said after the game, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "That is not us, at all. It's embarrassing. We've got to be better than that, way better."

The Cowboys could've clinched an NFC East title with a win over the Colts. Instead, they had their first shutout since 2003.

Fresh off a Week 14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in which the offense gained 576 yards, Dallas had just over half that amount Sunday. The Cowboys gained 292 total yards. Elliott didn't necessarily perform poorly, but his 87 rushing yards were below his season average (97.1). 

The normally stout Dallas defense allowed Marlon Mack to enjoy a career day (139 rushing yards and two touchdowns).

All isn't lost for the Cowboys, so they shouldn't dwell on Sunday's loss for too long. At 8-6, they're still first in the NFC East with winnable games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants to close out the regular season.

Elliott remained positive Sunday, arguing the nature of the defeat will have gotten the players refocused.

"I think a loss like this was very much needed," he said. "I think it's better for us in the grand scheme of the season, and I think we needed to get put in check. I think we needed a reality check and we needed a reminder that we still have a lot of ball left."

Dallas' poor Week 15 performance did, however, blunt some of the momentum the team generated during its five-game winning streak.