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SNF pregame clip shows Ezekiel Elliott battling a mystery injury before kickoff
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SNF pregame clip shows Ezekiel Elliott battling a mystery injury before kickoff

Dallas Cowboys fans have been patiently waiting all day for the team to go to battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night football. That patience will be tested a bit more as the game is currently postponed “until further notice,” according to Acrisure Stadium officials.

The blustery conditions will pose a challenge for the Cowboys if it is deemed safe enough to play, but they may have another obstacle to overcome. During the delay, NBC’s Football night in America showed Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott getting ready in the locker room.

While Prescott was listening to music, Elliott was seen with a bandage over his right shoulder. The veteran running back was in obvious discomfort and couldn’t even put on his shoulder pad. He grabbed the shoulder after failing to put the pillow over his head. You can watch the fragment behind this link.

That doesn’t look good for Elliott. The two-time rushing champion showed up on the injury report Thursday, but only because of dehydration. There was no shoulder injury. He was a limited participant but trained fully Friday and was completely off the injury report Saturday.

It’s possible Elliott is just feeling some pain, but he was audibly uncomfortable as he tried to put on his pad. Did the injury, for lack of a better term, happen while Zeke was getting ready? Perhaps he felt a pull or twinge as he lifted the pillows over his shoulder?

These are all conjectures, of course. Elliott could be okay. There has been no mention by Cowboys reporters that Elliott is dealing with an injury. Failing to report an injury is a violation of the NFL rule book and Dallas has historically had a good track record when it comes to reporting injuries.

This could end up being a non-story, but assuming the video makes the rounds on social media, reporters will likely ask questions about Elliott’s mysterious injury after the game.

No matter what Elliott is dealing with, the Cowboys should continue to lean on Rico Dowdle against the Steelers. Dowdle has emerged as the team’s frontrunner over the past two weeks. Elliott saw just two carries before halftime in last Thursday’s win over the Giants.

Elliott may get more carries due to the sloppy weather, but Dallas may be better off turning to Hunter Luepke as the grizzled vet is clearly not 100%.

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