FiveThirtyEight on the dynamic rookie duo

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The Cowboys offense is back in a big way, and you can thank Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott for that.

In 2014, buoyed by a dominant offensive line and AP Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray, the Dallas running game finished in the top five in nearly every major statistic: attempts, yards, touchdowns, yards per attempt and Football Outsiders’ DVOA.

But last year, without Murray (who joined the Eagles after the 2014 season) and with injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant, the Cowboys offense tanked. While the running game still finished in the top 10 in both rushing yards and yards per carry, the team dropped to just 31st in points scored. The Cowboys were running well, but without a star back to break long runs or a quality quarterback to do his part, the offense was a wreck.

After the season, Dallas spent the 4th overall pick in the 2016 draft on Elliott, a headliner among the Ohio State group that formed one of thegreatest draft classes ever produced by a single school. Elliott has been a star. The rookie back leads the league in rushing with 546 yards and has the 4th-most rushing yards through five games of any rookie running back since 1960:

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/dak-prescott-and-ezekiel-elliott-put-the-cowboys-back-on-top
 
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