FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been officially listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears after he did not practice Wednesday.
Elliott suffered a right knee injury in Sunday's 24-6 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Following Wednesday's practice, the three-time Pro Bowler spoke to reporters like he normally does.
"Knee feels stiff," Elliott said. "Got to get the stiffness out."
When asked if he can play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the 27-year-old replied, "I don't know right now. A lot of time before Sunday."
Remarkably, Zeke has only missed one game due to injury in his seven-year career: Dec. 20, 2020 -- a 41-33 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
"It all depends how I feel at the end of the week, going into the game," Elliott added on Wednesday.
Elliott tore the PCL in his right knee in Week 4 of 2021. He played through the injury last season but was not as productive or efficient as you'd expect from a two-time rushing champion.
If Elliott is forced to miss the second game of his NFL career due to injury, Tony Pollard would command a larger workload.
“I’m always trying to go out there and show what I can do," Pollard noted. "Prove myself right and others wrong."
Pollard is in the final year of his rookie contract and has a few million reasons to prove his worth on the field.
The Cowboys are on their Bye Week in Week 9, so there is some logic to resting Zeke for two full weeks to avoid setbacks and help his knee heal.
However, Elliott is not willing or ready to rule himself out for the Cowboys' Week 8 tilt with the Bears. At least, not yet.
"Pain is temporary," Elliott asserted. "If I can be out there, I'm not going to take a game off. That would be soft."
On Friday, the Cowboys listed Elliott as doubtful. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was also listed as questionable.