NFL Player of the Week: New England’s Ezekiel Elliott Has Best Stats of 2023 Season
Veteran Running Back Ezekiel Elliott Had a Season-High 140 Yards From Scrimmage
Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elijah Elliott
New England Patriots15
28 years old (07-22-1995)
6’00”
Alton, Illinois, USA
Running Back
Ohio State BuckeyesElliott’s Strong All-Around Game Helps New England Upset Pittsburgh
The New England Patriots have veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott his heaviest workload of the season, and Elliott helped the Patriots snap a five-game losing streak. A quick look at Ezekiel Elliott’s stats shows that he went over 100 yards from scrimmage for the first time this season as he was honored with NFL Player of the Week recognition.
Elliott had more yards receiving than rushing in New England’s 21-18 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Patriots covered as 5.5-point underdogs.
He delivered on rushing, receiving and scoring player props as New England picked up its third win of the season.
When looking at the NFL betting lines, the Patriots came into the 2023 season with the longest odds to win the AFC East title, and the Patriots appear headed to a last-place finish in the division.
Taking Advantage of His Opportunity
Rhamondre Stevenson is the top rusher for New England, however, Stevenson missed the game against the Steelers.
Elliott, who had fewer than 10 carries eight times this season after that, happened six times in 103 regular-season games during his seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
Elliott had a season-high 17 carries in a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 3. Four days later, he topped that mark with 22 rushing attempts. His 68 rushing yards are the second most for Elliott this season.
He ran for 80 yards in a 15-10 win over the New York Jets on Sept. 24. In New England’s three wins, Elliott had 49 carries for 179 yards. In the 10 losses, Elliott had 349 yards on 85 rushing attempts.
Elliott Catching On With the Patriots
Elliott had 77 catches during the 2018 season for the Dallas Cowboys, so being utilized in the passing game is nothing new for him.
When it comes to Ezekiel Elliott’s stats, Elliott is tied for 18th among running backs with 31 receptions this season.
He set season-highs with eight targets, seven receptions, and 72 receiving yards in the win against Pittsburgh. He opened the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown catch, the first of the NFL season.
The running backs have seen plenty of work in the passing game as Stevenson leads the Patriots with 38 receptions while Elliott is fifth on the team in catches.
A New Home And A New Role
With Tony Pollard emerging into a go-to running back with Dallas, the Cowboys moved on from a player who was a four-time 1000-yard rusher, and had he not missed six NFL games during the 2017 season and more time in 2020, he likely would have topped 1000 yards in each of his first six seasons with the Cowboys.
Elliott was approaching his 30th birthday, and that is bad news for NFL running backs, and he is far from the only Pro Bowl running back not to be retained by the team that drafted him as he hits his late-20s.
Elliott was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft out of 2016. he burst onto the scene with 1631 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, and 16 total touchdowns. When it comes to Ezekiel Elliott’s stats, that was the best statistical season of Elliott’s career.
In Select Company
Hall of Famer Jim Taylor of the Green Bay Packers is among the players that Elliott passed on the NFL’s career rushing list during the 2023 season.
He is currently 40th in NFL history with 8759 yards, and that ranks him second only to Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans among active players.
Elliott also has 336 catches, with 13 of his 73 career touchdowns during the regular season coming on receptions.
No active NFL running back has more yards from scrimmage than Elliott’s total of 11321, as his place as one of the best running backs in the NFL over the last several years is secure.
He now has 31 catches (on 39 targets) for 226 yards this season.
No Playoffs For You
New England was the first AFC team to be eliminated from the NFL playoffs, so there will be no postseason for Elliott to look forward to.
Elliott appeared in the postseason four times with the Cowboys as he rushed for 393 yards and had 11 catches in six career playoff games.
There will be some changes at New England as the roster needs some overhauling after years of the Patriots being a dominant force in the AFC.
Bailey Zappe has taken over at quarterback for former first-round pick Mac Jones and the Patriots could be in a position to take one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Elliott came into the season tied with Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen for the sixth-best odds at +1400 to have the most rushing yards among AFC East teams, according to the NFL odds. Those odds were pretty much on point, as Elliott is fifth in the AFC East with 497 rushing yards.
New England finishes the season by playing the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets. Those teams are a combined 27-25.
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