FRISCO, Texas – Ezekiel Elliott doesn't seem to see the problem.
Yes, he's used to winning the NFL rushing title, and yes it's unusual for opponents to hold him below 50 rushing yards – let alone doing it in back-to-back weeks. But coming off a day where Elliott scored two touchdowns to help the Cowboys win a road game, he didn't understand the talk about frustration.
"You guys make me feel awkward, like I'm supposed to be pissed because I had 40 yards and we won a football game," he joked.
For two-straight weeks, Elliott has taken a bit of a back burner in this Dallas offense. It's not for no reason: the Cowboys' passing offense has taken off recently, as Dak Prescott has bombed away for 841 yards in the last two games.
If the Cowboys' were struggling to move the ball at all, perhaps Elliott would feel differently about his limited production. Thanks to that success throwing the ball, though, the Cowboys had 443 yards against Minnesota and hit the 500-yard mark against Detroit.
Those aren't results Elliott is going to complain about.
"It's just the passing game is rolling right now, so you've got to ride it while it's hot," he said. "Hopefully it's rolling through the rest of the season and we don't need to run the ball."
That's certainly not going to be the case. With six games remaining on the schedule, there's plenty of time for Elliott to make his mark. It was only a month ago that he ripped off three-straight 100-yard performances against the Jets, Eagles and Giants, so it's not as if the pendulum won't swing back the other way.
"As long as the offense is rolling, then it's good. Not really focused on the totals or anything," Elliott said. "We know we've got some work to do on the run game, and week in, week out we're going to attack that. We're going to get better in the run game, but as long as the offense is rolling and we're scoring 35 points it's great."
Running and passing look like they'll be a challenge this particular week. New England enters the matchup with the best overall defense in the league in terms of yards and points. Though, fittingly, the Patriots' run defense is ranked just 10th, with an average of 97 yards allowed per game.
"They give you some different looks," Elliott said. "They're a very good team, they're very sound, they're always in their gap and they don't make mistakes."
Maybe the breakthrough will come on Sunday, and maybe it'll have to wait. Regardless, Elliott plans to stay patient.
"I think you can't really get too worried about it, you can't play outside your game, you can't play outside the scheme trying to force something," he said. "You've just got to let the game come to you. That's what I think is most important."