ARLINGTON, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott's body bent awkwardly as the Detroit Lions' Tahir Whitehead and Tyrunn Walker decked him on the Dallas Cowboys' second play Monday night. The moment highlighted the risks Dallas takes by feeding Elliott's league-leading total for rushing attempts with the NFC's top playoff seed already secured.
The Cowboys are the latest No. 1 seed to wrestle with how much to protect key players in games that do not affect the standings. The broader question for Elliott centers around whether the damage already has been done. The rookie running back carried 12 times Monday night, giving him 322 for the season, 34 more than runner-up David Johnson of Arizona. How many carries are too many carries heading into the postseason?
There's not much choice with linemen such as Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, who left the Detroit game with a knee injury. Resting a top running back is easier to do, but the Cowboys have ridden Elliott hard all season. While a sudden injury to Elliott would certainly fuel criticism, there are at least six reasons the Cowboys are not out of their minds.
The 2014 precedent
Retired Cowboys great Emmitt Smith reached 300 carries seven times, tied for the third-highest total behind Walter Payton (10) and Curtis Martin (eight). That included four seasons with 350-plus carries, tied with Payton for the most in league history.
The Cowboys do not have to reach back into Smith's era for a reference point on running back workloads. DeMarco Murray carried 392 times for Dallas during the 2014 regular season. He carried 44 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns during the wild-card and divisional rounds after that season. He's still going strong at age 28, albeit for Tennessee.
Murray is 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. Elliott goes 6-feet and 225. These are bigger backs who appear equipped for carrying the load.
Saying 'bye' to regular-season aches
The Cowboys can limit Elliott's carries in Week 17 and then give him the bye week to get his body additional rest before the playoffs.
Other backs have played in the wild-card round after logging at least 300 carries during the regular season. It has happened 21 times since 2001, most recently when Adrian Peterson did it last season.
Larry Johnson sits atop that list with 416 carries for Kansas City during the 2006 season, followed by a one-and-done playoff appearance against the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. Jamal Lewis (2003), Michael Turner (2008), Peterson (2008), Tiki Barber (2005) and Shaun Alexander (2004) all played in the wild-card round after carrying at least 350 times during the regular season.
Elliott will fall short of 350 carries. He'll also get a down week those guys were not allowed to enjoy.
The Ohio State precedent
Elliott proved he could handle a heavy workload before the Cowboys drafted him. He carried 562 times in 28 games for Ohio State during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Only San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey (585) and Alabama's Derrick Henry (567) had more carries in college over that span. Elliott did not miss a game during those two seasons.
Not exactly running into brick walls
Elliott is running behind the NFL's consensus No. 1 offensive line. His highlight tape doubles as an offensive line coaching tape, despite the hard hit he took early in the game against Detroit. A look at the 16 total touchdowns Elliott has scored this season shows him running into the end zone untouched or lightly contacted most of the time. He wasn't running over defenders in high-impact collisions.
Age is on his side
Elliott is still just 21 years old. He was the sixth-youngest player to log an offensive or defensive snap for an NFL team in Week 16, behind only Kenny Clark, Eli Apple, Myles Jack, Keanu Neal and Rashard Robinson. Elliott is not an aging star to utilize sparingly. He has young legs, and his prime years remain in the future.
Enviable backup RB situation
Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden aren't up there with Elliott in ability, but they could form an effective committee behind Dallas' line if Elliott did break down under the heavy workload.
Give the Cowboys credit for signing Morris and McFadden for two years instead of one. Getting a second season at a reasonable rate ensured Dallas would enjoy depth at the position. Morris was a 1,000-yard back as recently as 2014. McFadden had 1,089 yards for Dallas last season.