Ezekiel Elliott won't eat this week.
The Dallas Cowboys running back is inactive for Sunday's showdown against the San Francisco 49ers due to a calf strain.
It's the first game Elliott has missed due to an injury in his career.
Zeke sitting out entirely comes as a surprise as coach Mike McCarthy insisted all week his top back would play. The only question was how many snaps Elliott might take. In the end, the Cowboys sat down the running back for the entire contest.
Elliott is averaging a career-low 64 rushing yards per game. His 88.2 scrimmage yards and 3.9 yards per carry are also lows for his five-year career.
Without Zeke, the Cowboys will lean on Tony Pollard as the workhorse. The second-year back has shown more burst than Elliott this season. It will be interesting to see how good Pollard looks with a full slate of reps for the first time in his career. Undrafted rookie RB Rico Dowdle should also see his first snaps on offense this season as Pollard's backup.
