The Cowboys’ locker room was nearly empty, and Ezekiel Elliott was making small talk with Tavon Austin and Brice Butler in the corner of the locker room.
As the running back slowly peeled off his uniform, he said to no one in particular, “I’m already sore as (expletive). I don’t see me practicing on Wednesday the way I feel right now.
“I'm beat up. I was already sore in the first quarter. I knew what type of game it was going to be, but I had to grind through it."
Then, he walked gingerly to toward the showers.
Elliott, if he needs it, deserves an extra day off after he willed the Cowboys to a 26-24 win over the Detroit Lions.
It’s the best NFL game he’s ever played.
Easily.
Yes, he’s had games with more yards. And, sure, he’s had games with more touchdowns.
But he’s never had a better gritty, all-around performance like he did against Detroit.
Elliott ran 25 times for 152 yards - seven yards shy of his career high - and caught four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
He totaled 240 yards, the most in his career, surpassing the 219-yard performance against San Francisco last year in a blowout win.
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Against Detroit, Elliott had runs of 14, 19 and 41 yards. He also caught passes of 34 and 38 yards.
“I've never seen him play as well as he did today,” owner Jerry Jones said.
Elliott set up Maher’s game-winning kick on a play the Cowboys ran for the first time Sunday.
"I'd been trying to get that play for awhile," Elliott said. "Once I saw they were playing man-to-man and I was going to have a linebacker on me, I was telling them, 'Give me the inside fade.'"
Elliott lined up in the slot on the left and ran a deep fade route. Dak Prescott threw a perfect pass and Elliott made a nifty over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline.
“You've got Zeke on a linebacker. I'm going to take that matchup every day of the week,“ Prescott said. “It doesn't matter who the linebacker is.”
Then the quarterback delivered a perfect pass that allowed Elliott to run under the ball and easily keep his feet inbounds.
"That catch over the shoulder should be one we all remember," Jerry said. "I'm glad I got to see it. I have never seen him play better than he played today.
For Elliott, it was a redemptive performance.
He blamed himself for the Cowboys’ 24-13 loss to Seattle. He had a key fourth-quarter fumble at the end of a 26-yard fun.
He also dropped a third-down and missed a block that led to a key interception.
“He was disappointed in last week, so he used that chip all week to fuel his preparation,” said running back coach Gary Brown, “and then he came out and played with a fury.”
Last week, the Cowboys tried unsuccessfully to get Elliott the ball more. He finished with 16 carries for 127 yards, but caught only three of eight passes directed his way for 11 yards.
Against Detroit, play-caller Scott Linehan finally figured out how to maximize Elliott’s talent.
Elliott established a season-high with 25 carries and he caught each of the four passes directed to him. He scored the Cowboys first touchdown on a 38-yard screen pass.
Last year, he scored on a 73-yard screen pass against the 49ers. As a rookie, he scored on an 83-yard screen pass against Pittsburgh.
“We call that the Linehan Special,” Elliott said. “I have three touchdown catches off that. It works every time."
In the third quarter, Elliott banged his knee on a defender’s helmet when he tried to hurdle him at the end of a 14-yard run.
As he trotted to the sideline, Elliott made it clear to Garrett that he’d soon return to the game. Four plays later, he did.
“He’s such a physical guy, he’s got a relentless spirit about him,” Garrett said. “I think you saw that in the running game and then obviously makes the big play on the screen for the touchdown and then he makes the game-changing play at the end.
“He’s such a complete back. He plays with such a look in his eye and such a spirit that’s contagious throughout our football team. You want to give that guy the ball because usually good things happen.”
And if he needs an extra day off, then so be it.
