Tony Pollard has become a featured part of the Dallas offense in the early weeks of the 2021 season. He’s had explosive games before, but he’s never felt as integrated as he has over the first several games. He’s currently averaging a career-high nine carries per game in 2021 and has gained 183 yards (6.8 yards per attempt) so far. In Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pollard led the Cowboys rushing attack with 109 yards on 13 carries and added 31 more on three receptions.
The Cowboys were without Pollard at practice on Thursday but fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the absence was for personal reasons and not due to any injury according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Tony Pollard was not at Thursday's practice because of personal reasons. It's not injury related at all. No worries there.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 30, 2021
Pollard’s talent has never been a question it’s just been about when was he going to get more opportunities.
The two-back approach has worked well for the Cowboys, especially the last two weeks. Pollard’s 169 yards over that span slightly edge out Ezekiel Elliott’s 166 yards. The Cowboys are fourth in the NFL at 139 yards per game running the football. The duo currently sits one-two atop Football Outsiders’ DVOA and DYAR metrics, which measure running back yardage and performance based on game situation and opponent quality.
The most important part of the news is that for now it appears Pollard’s availability for Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers is not currently in question. It will be a tough task for Elliott and Pollard to gain significant yardage against the Panthers and their top-ranked defense that is also No. 1 against the run.
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