When Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel left his weekly news conference, you knew who was on his mind because even though he already had answered questions on multiple topics, as he exited the room, he blurted out, “Ezekiel.”
Ezekiel Elliott is coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time.
The hurdler is on the minds of Falcons defenders, too, because if the Falcons (4-5) are going to beat Dallas (4-5) on Sunday, they probably will have to slow the Cowboys' running back.
Perhaps the timing is terrible because the Falcons were strafed for 211 rushing yards Sunday in a 28-16 loss in Cleveland. This probably isn't the right guy to see next.
Elliott led the NFL in rushing as a rookie despite not playing the final game of the season in 2016, and he was rolling last season before he was suspended for six games and missed the game in Atlanta. He ranks second in the NFL in rushing now, with 831 yards in nine games to 988 for the Rams’ Todd Gurley in 10 games.
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And there’s only one Falcons defender who’s played against Elliott. Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell remembers facing Elliott in college in 2014.
He rushed 18 times for 91 yards and a touchdown at Minnesota, yet he was on the edge of greatness and Campbell saw it while playing for the Gophers in a 31-24 loss to Ohio State.
“Yeah, he’s an explosive player. There’s not anything he can’t do with the ball in his hands. He has great vision, great speed, good power, so you just have to get on him early,” Campbell said.
“We know that’s how they want to come in and try to establish the run. We just have the mindset that you’re not going to run the ball on us; that’s not how you’re going to beat us.”
Elliott rushed for 107 or more yards in the next 15 games of his college career.
He finished Ohio State’s national championship season in 2014 by rushing for 121 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan, 220 yards and two scores against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, 230 yards and two touchdowns against No. 1 Alabama in the playoffs and 246 yards and four touchdowns in the championship game against Oregon.
So, after his junior season, he was drafted No. 4 by the Cowboys in 2016, and he’s how Dallas wants to win.
In the Cowboys’ wins this season, they’ve rushed for 138, 183, 206 and 171 yards.
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Fast forwarding, the Falcons were crushed by the Browns on Sunday in the run game where former Georgia standout Nick Chubb battered and strafed the Falcons on their worst tackling day. When he went a club-record 92 yards for a score in the third quarter, the Falcons were just about finished.
That irritated Manuel, and gave him talking points.
“We were taking forward steps and we took a back step on Sunday, and it comes down to understanding where we fit ... and getting on and off blocks,” he said Wednesday. “This offensive line creates huge challenges for us and that’s even before you get to Ezekiel.
“It’s going to be a pad-level game, and we’re going to have to win ... and make sure we all get to the ball on every, single play.”
That’s the rallying cry for the Falcons defense this week: Get a bunch of dudes to the ballcarrier.
Elliott missed last year’s game in Atlanta and left tackle Tyron Smith was out with an injury as the Falcons sacked Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott eight times. Six of those sacks came from former defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who consistently whipped the Cowboys’ replacements for Smith.
Smith’s healthier, although again dinged, and All-Pro center Travis Frederick is out after being diagnosed with Guillane-Barre disease, an auto-immune disorder.
All-Pro right guard Zack Martin is still in the mix, and he helps open lanes for Elliott.
Jack Crawford has seen these guys up close.
The defensive lineman played for the Cowboys, and practiced against Smith, Martin and Elliott. Really, though, he says he can’t offer any special advice about the back, but he has some word on the blockers.
“I wouldn’t say there’s really any secrets to give. Watching tape is the best chance to see what you’re going up against. It’s different once you’re in a game. They’re both a hell of a player, man,” he said of Smith and Martin. “They made me a lot better, and ... they’re two of the strongest offensive linemen I’ve ever played against.”
Falcons defensive tackle Terrell McClain played with the Cowboys in ’16, too, and he wasn’t surprised to see Elliott hurdle Eagles safety Tre Sullivan on Sunday night, when he rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and caught six passes, including one for a score.
“He’s got great vision. He’s got pretty much everything you’d think a great running back would have,” McClain said. “A lot of people don’t think he’s strong. He’s actually strong as hell, and I feel he’s a power runner but he also has the speed and quickness of like a scatback ...
“He’s been jumping since forever. ... Got to body him up a little bit.”
Elliott can jump and run (he was a state-champion sprinter and hurdler in high school upon growing up in suburban St. Louis), and the 6-foot, 225-pound ram can run over folks now and then. His most underrated skill may be his ability to dial back and let blocks unfold before picking a run lane.
The Falcons have to be mindful of that.
“We definitely want to rebound from the performance that we had last week and get back to our ways in stopping the run,” defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said. “You have to be patient as well. You can’t do a lot of gap-jumping and peeking because when he sees some air and some light, he’s going to hit it.”
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