The Dallas Cowboys' game against the New England Patriots this week has a little extra something for Dak Prescott, as it's the first time that Ezekiel Elliott will play his former team.
After being cut at the end of last season, Zeke found his way to the Patriots. Now, Elliott returns to AT&T Stadium on Sunday as Dak Prescott's Cowboys look to get back on track after last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It will surely be an interesting time emotionally for both the Cowboys and Zeke and Prescott has given his thoughts on Zeke coming "home."
The return of Elliott will perhaps hit Dak Prescott a little harder than most as he and Zeke both came into the league in 2016. Both taken in the 2016 NFL draft, the pair grew up together in the league and were a shoulder to lean on for each other.
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But not anymore and Dak spoke of Elliott's return to AT&T Stadium during the week.
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Prescott said via the Athletic's Jon Machota:
“Probably the first time we’ve talked on the phone for that long in a while. His spirits are great. He’s excited. It’ll be good to see him. … I’m happy for him. Always pulling for him. He’s doing well. I’m excited for him.”
Dak Prescott and Cowboys offense hoping to fix red zone issues vs. Patriots
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While much of the focus on Sunday will be on Elliott's return, another thing that should have the utmost importance is how Dallas fixes its red zone issues. Against the Cardinals, Dallas only scored one touchdown on five trips to the red zone, and that simply won't cut it.
Both Prescott and head coach/play-caller Mike McCarthy have stated they will try and fix the issues this week in practice and Dallas fans how it gets fixed quickly.
If there is one head coach who will look to exploit this, it's Bill Belichick and the Cowboys will need to play superbly well to get anything out of this Patriots' defense.
Zeke naturally gets the attention this Sunday, but more attention should be placed on the Cowboys' red zone attempts with Prescott leading the way.
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