Other » Ezekiel Elliott won his second NFL rushing title in three seasons

Dallas offense that has been defined by the ground game for several years now.Seattle takes the league’s No. 1 rushing offense into a wild-card playoff against the Cowboys on Saturday night Zach Gentry Jersey , led by Chris Carson, but with more help from others than your average pro backfield .While receiver Amari Cooper‘s impact on the Dallas passing game was dramatic following a midseason trade, and Seattle’s Russell Wilson again finished among the NFL leaders in touchdowns passing, both teams figure to try to control the second postseason meeting between these franchises with their running backs.“We have a formula here,” said Dallas right guard Zack Martin, who has made the Pro Bowl in all five of his seasons. “Usually if we win a game, we kind of stick to that formula. It’s always a tough game against those guys. It’s kind of a bone-on-bone game. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”Elliott finished with 1,434 yards while setting a club record for catches by a running back with 77, one more than Herschel Walker 32 years ago. His 2,001 yards from scrimmage were second to New York Giants rookie Saquon Barkley.The 23-year-old former Ohio State star had the first 40-touch game of his career, a 29-23 overtime win against defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia that all but wrapped up the NFC East for the Cowboys (10-6).With the fourth seed in the playoffs locked up, the Cowboys sat Elliott in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants. Dak Prescott showcased his passing game with a rally for a 36-35 win, but that’s unlikely to be the way Dallas advances in the postseason.“Knowing going into these playoffs I’m going to have probably the heaviest workload I’ve had all season L.J. Collier Jersey ,” Elliott said, “so great getting fresh and ready going into this last stretch of the season and ready for what they throw at me.”The Seahawks (10-6) will throw multiple backs at the Cowboys, starting with Carson. With 1,151 yards rushing, Carson became the club’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Marshawn Lynch on Seattle’s most recent Super Bowl qualifier in 2014.Throw in Mike Davis (514 yards), Rashaad Penny (419) and Wilson (376), and the Seahawks have the first backfield with a 1,000-yard rusher and three with at least 300 yards since the 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers.Seattle is averaging 160 yards rushing per game, while Dallas finished the regular season ranked 10th at 123.“The offensive line has just really come into their own — No. 1 rush team in the NFL for us, which is something that we really wanted to do is to run the ball this year and also play-action and do our thing,” Wilson said. “Those guys have been a big, big thing for us.”Carson http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/marquise-blair-jersey-authentic , a second-year back drafted in the seventh round, had his first 100-yard game with 102 yards on a career-high 32 carries in the first meeting with Dallas this season, a 24-13 Seattle victory in Week 3 after the Seahawks had started 0-2.While the Cowboys let Seattle control the game with its rushing attack, they still held Carson to 3.2 yards per carry, his lowest average of the season. Defense kept Dallas in the game despite one of the worst offensive showings of the season.“So much of this is about us and what we need to do to play good run defense,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “It’s about us being fundamentally sound and being physical and being in our gaps and setting edges and running to the ball and being a great tackling team regardless of who they hand it to or what kind of runs they use.”There isn’t much mystery in who will get the handoffs for the Cowboys. Elliott carried 304 times, 18 fewer than when he led the league in rushing as a rookie in 2016. Backup Rod Smith had just 44 rushes, 12 of those when Elliott sat against the Giants.Really, the No. 2 running option for Dallas is quarterback Dak Prescott, who has six rushing TDs in each of his three regular seasons. While the Cowboys have been at their best when Prescott shows the running threat, they will spend plenty of time trying to establish Elliott early.“The ball is in his hands most of the time,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “I don’t know him at all, but I am sure he’s a great competitor D.K. Metcalf Jersey , he just plays like it. It all matters to him and there’s an intensity about his play that has made him already a significant player in the league.”13<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:NFL Playoff Odds: Brees, Saints Favorites To Win Super BowlDerick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports | Derick E. Hingle ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions were the laughingstock of the league when they drafted wide receivers in the first round three straight years from 2003 to 2005, and none of them panned out for the franchise.Detroit drafted tight ends in the first round twice over the past decade and ended up releasing both players.Putting history aside, it looks as if the Lions need help at tight end and wide receiver during the draft after largely ignoring both positions in recent years. Detroit has the No. 8 selection overall and a total of nine picks, including a pair in each of the last two rounds.Since 2014, Detroit has drafted only one receiver and one tight end and both picks were made two years ago.Receiver Kenny Golladay , a third-rounder, has become a promising player while tight end, Michael Roberts, a fourth-round pick, has not been very productive.The Lions can’t be sure how receiver Marvin Jones will bounce back from a season-ending knee injury and they have only a short-term solution at slot receiver, signing 33-year-old Danny Amendola in free agency.They attempted to address their desperate need at tight end this offseason http://www.seahawksfootballauthentics.com/cody-barton-jersey-authentic , signing free agent Jesse James, but they don’t seem to be satisfied.“We’re going to do the best we can to obviously try to improve that situation for us, whether it’s through free agency or the draft,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said.“We’re looking at those guys pretty hard and trying to make sure we get somebody in there that puts as much stress on the defense as possible.”Former Lions general manager Matt Millen believed the NFL was becoming a pass-happy league. Millen did correctly predict the future trend, but he missed on key picks.Quarterback Joey Harrington was a bust as were receivers Charles Rogers and Mike Williams while Roy Williams had a decent career before being traded to Dallas.Fans in the Motor City were not happy the franchise used first-round picks on tight end Ebron in 2014 and Brandon Pettigrew in 2009 and may not like it if general manager Bob Quinn drafts Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson early in the first round.“In all due respect to the fans out there, I can’t take the fan sentiment into who I draft and who I sign,” Quinn said.Here are other things to watch when Detroit drafts:TRADE TALKQuinn sounds very interested in acquiring extra selections to slide down in the draft in exchange for the No. 8 pick.“There’s a couple of players right at the top that you would obviously would love to have,” Quinn said. “I just don’t think I have enough ammunition to get up there.“I’d rather move back a couple spots.”If Quinn backs up his talk with action and moves down, he may draft a wide receiver such as Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown, Mississippi’s D.K. Metcalf or A.J. Brown.SOUTHERN FLAVORQuinn has drafted seven players from the Southeastern Conference the past two years, including both first- and second-round picks. The trend may continue with him taking LSU linebacker Devin White and Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams in the first round.NEW TERRIORTYDetroit reached double digits in losses last year in Patricia’s debut season for the first time since 2012, giving it the No. 8 pick overall. Quinn had the No. 20 pick last year, No. 21 in 2017 and No. 16 three years ago in his debut as a general manager after helping the New England Patriots scout for prospects to take late in the first round for many years.“This is unchartered territory for me Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey ,” Quinn said. “I don’t really love it.”BEST AVAILABLEThe Lions addressed many needs in free agency , signing player such as defensive end Trey Flowers and cornerbacks Justin Coleman , to put any position in play during the draft.“With what the board looks like and what our perceived needs are, probably a little bit more pushing toward the best available player,” Quinn said.“I think that’s a good thing. Now, things can change between now and September. But going into it this year, we feel a little bit better about the depth at certain positions.”HELP UP FRONTQuinn might not draft an offensive lineman in the first round for the third time in four years, but it seems likely he will take at least one player to add depth.“It’s a position we studied really hard,” Quinn said. “Our offensive line coaches were out more than in previous years. There’s good depth at that position from the first round all the way down to the fifth and sixth round, a little bit more on the interior.”