October 31, 2017
Depending on what week it has been this season, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension has either been on or off. Late Monday night, there was an update to that status.
Judge dissolves temporary restraining order and denies Elliott's motion. He is suspended.
— Kate Hairopoulos (@khairopoulos) October 31, 2017
To be an informed football fan these days, you basically need to be part lawyer, part doctor, and part accountant. I don't understand the first sentence in the tweet above, but the second one notes the important part, which is that Ezekiel Elliott's suspension is on.
Of course, this ongoing saga never truly ends, as Elliott and the NFLPA will have a chance to appeal on Tuesday.
Ezekiel Elliott's motion for preliminary injunction DENIED. Suspension back on. Starts in 24 hours to give chance to consider appeal options
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 31, 2017
Still, the legal experts mostly feel that Elliott's suspension will begin this week. If so, he would miss the Cowboys' Sunday night matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on November 19.
If there's a team equipped to handle Elliott and the Cowboys' rushing attack, it's the Eagles. As we've noted several times, here is what the Eagles' defense has done against opposing running backs this season:
| Opposing RBs | Rushes | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Redskins | 13 | 34 | 2.6 | 0 |
| Chiefs | 13 | 81 | 6.2 | 2 |
| Giants | 17 | 49 | 2.9 | 0 |
| Chargers | 13 | 58 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Cardinals | 13 | 17 | 1.3 | 0 |
| Panthers | 13 | 1 | 0.1 | 0 |
| Redskins | 14 | 54 | 3.9 | 0 |
| 49ers | 18 | 54 | 3.0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 114 | 348 | 3.1 | 3 |
With Elliott out, the Cowboys will be challenged even further to try to keep pace with the Eagles, who hold a 2.5-game lead over Dallas in the NFC East:
| NFC East | Record | Div record | Conf record | GB |
| Eagles | 7-1 | 3-0 | 6-0 | - |
| Cowboys | 4-3 | 2-0 | 4-2 | 2.5 |
| Redskins | 3-4 | 0-3 | 2-3 | 3.5 |
| Giants | 1-6 | 0-2 | 0-5 | 5.5 |
The Cowboys' opponents during Elliott's six-game suspension, should it stand, are as follows:
• Week 9: Chiefs
• Week 10: At Falcons
• Week 11: Eagles
• Week 12: Chargers
• Week 13: Redskins
• Week 14: At Giants
Those first three games represent a less than ideal time for the Cowboys to be without their best player.
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